Theatre-maker and performer Katie-anna Whiting will be touring her new show ‘LoreFolk’ in Norfolk and Suffolk this autumn. Here, Katie-anna explains how it will be a celebration of local folklore, with a difference
Can you remind readers who you are and what you do?
I’m Katie-anna Whiting, I’m a theatre maker and performer. I deliver creative workshops in the local community and make professional touring theatre under the company name The Whiting’s On The Wall, alongside a team of brilliant creatives.
We last featured you and your show Horse Play a couple of years ago – how was that received, and what have you been up to since?
We were absolutely blown away by how well it was received! We sold out four of our performances, made the evening news, local and national newspapers and were finalists in the New Writing Category of Norfolk Arts Awards ’24. Phew!
We’ve been incredibly busy since, working on several story sharing projects with local arts organisations, like The Garage’s sister company ‘The Workshop’ in Kings Lynn. And we’ve just embarked on a year-long research and development project about the coastal community of Hemsby. We’ll be talking with Hemsby folk, alongside local charities, environmental scientists and coastal historians to develop a docu theatre piece about coastal erosion, offering a platform for the voices of Europe’s worst affected town.
What can you tell us about your latest show, LoreFolk?
We were awarded a micro-commission from Norwich Theatre last year to collect audio recordings of local folk stories and found we were inundated with people who wanted to speak to us. From recently created family folk stories and half-remembered mermaids to the infamous Black Shuck…and everything in-between.
We use transcripts of the original recordings as a script for the show, so I will be performing what we gathered EXACTLY as it was said at the time. I play all the characters and create all the imagery and sit in front of the audience with nothing but an old skool OHP (90’s classrooms anyone?!). It’s directed by shadow puppeteer Zannie Fraser, designed by Fern Blevins and has an original score by local musician SkinnyBoy Tunes. Think…if Creature Comforts did a magical mystery tour of Norfolk, and you’d be somewhere close to the experience you’ll get with our latest show!
There will also be the opportunity to come and share some of your own folk and family folk stories after some of the shows, so please look out for that! We’ll announce on our social media closer to the time.
What do you love about bringing local stories to life on stage?
I’m fascinated by the unheard stories of ‘the everyperson’ of Norfolk. I love the research stage of any project. I think I could deep-dive into our local archives for years and still have hundreds of stories to go before I ever got bored!
Sharing folk stories can connect us to our landscape, our community and each other. I think it’s a much- needed antidote to everything that’s going on in the world.
When and where will the show be happening?
We have sold out our last three shows at The Garage Norwich, so we’ve added a matinee performance for the first time. A few of the LoreFolk team are parents and are hoping it will offer the opportunity to come along if you have a baby or other caring responsibilities…or if you just enjoy an afternoon out!
LoreFolk ’25 – The Whitings on the Wall, starts at The Garage, Norwich on October 4, 2025 and finishes at St George’s Theatre in Great Yarmouth on November 15, 2025. Visit thewhitingsonthewall.com, and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
(Featured images of Katie-anna Whiting – supplied)
TOUR DATES:
October 4, 2025 The Garage, Norwich, 2:30pm, 19:30pm, 01603 283382
October , 2025 Fisher Theatre, Bungay,19:30pm, 01986 895367
October 9 The Seagull, Lowestoft,19:30pm, 01502 589726
October 10, 2025 Old Buckenham Village Hall, 19:30pm, bookings.obvh@gmail.com
October 15, 2025 Sheringham Little Theatre, 19:30pm, 01263 822347
October 17, 2025 Eastern Angles Centre, Ipswich, 19:30pm, 01473 211498
October 22, 2025 Aylsham Town Hall,19:30pm, on-the-door/in-person @Postles, 32 Market Pl
October 23, 2025 Wells Maltings, 19:30pm, 01328 710885
October 24, 2025 Westacre Theatre, 19:30pm, 01760 755007
15.11.25 St George’s Theatre, Gt.Yarmouth, 19:30pm, 01493 331484
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