What’s On
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Exhibitions Coming Soon
Free
Mark Titchner: Is this the place of your dreams?
Dates/times coming soon
Launching February 2020 Artist Mark Titchner is producing a new series of public artworks across Colchester, entitled Is this the place of your dreams? which will be placed in the windows of vacant shop units around the town centre….
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Free
Exhibition Tours
Wednesday 20 February 2019 - Wednesday 29 April 2020
2:30 pm , Wednesdays & Saturdays
Join a member of our team for an informal tour of the current Firstsite exhibitions. Meet in the Welcome Area at the front of the building at 2:30pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays. View our current exhibitions here.
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Free
Aidan Moesby | Sagacity: The Periodic Table of Emotions
Friday 15 November 2019 - Sunday 8 March 2020
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sagacity is a live and responsive installation based around the Periodic Table, reflecting the emotional state of its location. Its installation at Firstsite shows the current mood of our visitors, and will record the feelings of participants from November…
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Free
Antony Gormley: Field for the British Isles
Saturday 16 November 2019 - Sunday 8 March 2020
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Experience this vast and iconic artwork at Firstsite, celebrating community, individuality and togetherness. Field for the British Isles, which consists of 40,000 tiny individual terracotta figures, is the largest single artwork in the Arts Council Collection and its arrival…
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Free
Afro Futures_UK: Unravelling New Futures
Saturday 25 January - Sunday 19 April 2020
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
An exhibition of digital and multimedia art, ‘Unravelling New Futures’ explores how the intersection of the black experience, technology and historical narratives can inspire new ways of thinking critically about the future. Through video, performance and sculpture, this exhibition…
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Free
Kevin Howbrook: Colour Coded
Saturday 25 January - Sunday 22 March 2020
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Kevin Howbrook: Colour Coded is an exhibition of large-scale digital prints that show what familiar texts, like the ‘Bible’ or ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, look like if each word is represented by a colour. Kevin Howbrook is an artist…
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Free
Unboxing Alex Frost
Saturday 8 February - Sunday 19 April 2020
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Unboxing Alex Frost is an exhibition of videos and sculptures made from products that feed our ‘on-the-go’ lifestyle, like frozen pizzas and supermarket sandwiches. It includes videos from Frost’s ‘Wet Unboxing’ series, in which meals, snacks, protein shakes, vitamin…
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Dolittle
Wednesday 19 February 2020
3:30 pm
More times available
Robert Downey Jr. electrifies one of literature’s most enduring characters in a vivid reimagining of the classic tale of the man who could talk to animals: Dolittle. After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle…
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Free
Firstsite Holiday Fun: Feb Half Term 2020 | MAKE
Thursday 20 February 2020
10:00 am
More times available
Get making this February Half Term with a variety of free, creative activities – inspired by Firstsite’s current exhibitions. Activities Field for FirstsiteBuild your own figure inspired by the current exhibition Field for the British Isles by Antony Gormley….
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Free
Firstsite Holiday Fun: Feb Half Term 2020 | MOVE
Thursday 20 February 2020
10:30 am
More times available
Get moving with a range of physical activities this February Half Term, including football and multi-sports. Delivered in partnership with Colchester United Football Club. Mon 17 Feb | Dodgeball Tue 18 Feb | Multi-sports Wed 19 Feb | FootballThu 20…
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Firstsite Holiday Fun: Feb Half Term 2020 | MUNCH
Thursday 20 February 2020
12:00 pm
More times available
Enjoy a hot and nutritious lunch this February Half Term at Firstsite, with our Holiday Fun pop-up canteen. Free meals are available for families with a voucher – contact [email protected] 01206 713 707 for more info. Meals are served…
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Hard of Hearing: 1917
Thursday 20 February 2020
3:30 pm
Sam Mendes’ visceral and immersive vision of the First World War battlefields. Two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory…
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NT Live: Cyrano de Bergerac
Thursday 20 February 2020
7:00 pm
James McAvoy (X-Men, Atonement) returns to the stage in an inventive new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, broadcast live to cinemas from the West End in London. Fierce with a pen and notorious in combat, Cyrano almost has it…
Find out moreChildren & Families
Free
Harwich Holiday Fun: Feb Half Term | MAKE
Friday 21 February 2020
10:00 am
Get making in Harwich this February Half Term, with a variety of creative activities throughout the school holidays. Activities most suitable for those aged 4 – 11 yrs, but all ages welcome. Drop-in anytime between 10am – 2:30pm. No…
Find out moreChildren & Families
Free
Harwich Holiday Fun: Feb Half Term | MOVE
Friday 21 February 2020
10:30 am
Get moving in Harwich this February Half Term, with free multi-sports activities. Most suitable for those aged 4 – 11 yrs, but all ages welcome. Sports activities last 1 hour and take place outside. Please wear suitable clothing. Adults are…
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Harwich Holiday Fun: Feb Half Term | MUNCH
Friday 21 February 2020
12:00 pm
Enjoy a hot and nutritious lunch in Harwich this February Half Term. Free meals are available to families with a voucher. Contact Sue [email protected] or call 01206 713 700 for more info. Meals are served at 12pm. Please book in…
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Weathering With You
Friday 21 February 2020
6:00 pm
More times available
The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as…
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Waves
Friday 21 February 2020
8:15 pm
More times available
Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family – led by a well-intentioned but domineering father –…
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Midnight Traveller
Saturday 22 February 2020
3:10 pm
When his life is threatened by the Taliban, filmmaker Hassan Fazili goes on the run with his wife and two small daughters. Shooting on their mobile phones, the family takes us with them on a harrowing and gruelling journey,…
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A Hidden Life
Saturday 22 February 2020
5:10 pm
More times available
Terrence Malick’s three-hour epic probes places the world of men against the call of the eternal. Based on the true story of Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), we find him in the secluded bucolic idyll of the Austrian mountains, surrounded…
Find out moreCinema
Hard of Hearing: Waves
Monday 24 February 2020
2:00 pm
Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family – led by a well-intentioned but domineering father –…
Find out moreTours
Free
Exhibition Tours: Antony Gormley ‘Field for the British Isles’
Monday 24 February 2020
2:30 pm
More times available
Learn more about one of artist Antony Gormley’s biggest artworks, Field for the British Isles, with exhibition tours from Firstsite’s Head of Programme, Stuart Tulloch, and Programme Manager for Communities, Emma Reeve. Stuart and Emma will be joined by…
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Free
CLIP | Experimental Music and Sound Collective
Monday 24 February 2020
5:00 pm
More times available
FREE Drop in – no booking required. CLIP is a weekly meet up for anyone with an interest in the more experimental side of music and sound. An opportunity for sonic exploration through collaboration, discussion, sharing ideas, jam sessions,…
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A Banana? At This Time of Night?
Monday 24 February 2020
7:30 pm
Afflicted by muscular dystrophy, Yasuaki (OIZUMI Yo) doesn’t let that slow him down. A charming and eternally positive man, he is determined to live an independent life and fulfil his dreams with the help of coerced volunteers Misaki (TAKAHATA Mitsuki) and Tanaka (MIURA Haruma). Based on a true story.
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Art Class: Watercolour Painting
Tuesday 25 February 2020
11:30 am
More times available
Led by Colchester Art Society artist Sally Delany, this course gives you the opportunity to learn and develop watercolour painting techniques. Painting from images and still life, you will receive individual tuition and guidance from the artist to learn…
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Art Class: Life Drawing for all abilities
Tuesday 25 February 2020
2:30 pm
More times available
Led by Colchester Art Society artist Sally Delany, this 13 week course gives you the opportunity to work with a variety of media, including charcoal, pencil and pastels, to explore the human form. Drawing from clothed and nude models,…
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Limitless | Junior Street Dance
Tuesday 25 February 2020
4:00 pm
More times available
Breakdance skills for 8 – 14 year olds. Join the Limitless dancers Andi Mill and Isaac James to try out the basics of street dancing in a cool, fun and energetic environment. Please wear comfortable clothing – loose t-shirts,…
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Royal Opera House: The Cellist/Dances at a Gathering (Live)
Tuesday 25 February 2020
7:15 pm
The Royal Ballet presents the world premiere of Cathy Marston’s first work for the Company on the Main Stage alongside a revival of Jerome Robbins’s timeless classic of pure dance. Cathy Marston has previously been an Associate Artist of…
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Tai Chi | Advanced
Tuesday 25 February 2020
7:30 pm
More times available
Increase your flexibility, improve your balance and help lower your stress and anxiety, with relaxing sessions of traditional Yang Style 24 step Tai-Chi at Firstsite. This traditional Tai-Chi is taught on a continuous basis and learners will develop through…
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Parent and Toddler Art Club
Thursday 27 February 2020
10:00 am
More times available
These artist-led sessions provide a safe and fun environment for children under 5 and parents/carers to use their imagination and curiosity to explore, test and experiment with a range of art activities and materials. Parents and guardians go free.
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Hard of Hearing: A Hidden Life
Thursday 27 February 2020
2:00 pm
Terrence Malick’s three-hour epic probes places the world of men against the call of the eternal. Based on the true story of Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), we find him in the secluded bucolic idyll of the Austrian mountains, surrounded…
Find out moreCourses, Clubs & Classes
Tai Chi | Beginners
Thursday 27 February 2020
6:00 pm
More times available
Increase your flexibility, improve your balance and help lower your stress and anxiety, with relaxing sessions of Tai-Chi at Firstsite. This traditional Yang Style 24 step Tai-Chi is taught on a continuous basis and learners will develop through the…
Find out moreCourses, Clubs & Classes
Tai Chi | Intermediate
Thursday 27 February 2020
7:30 pm
More times available
Increase your flexibility, improve your balance and help lower your stress and anxiety, with relaxing sessions of Tai-Chi at Firstsite. This traditional Yang Style 24 step Tai-Chi is taught on a continuous basis and learners will develop through the…
Find out moreCourses, Clubs & Classes
Dance and Movement for Wellbeing | For over 60s
Friday 28 February 2020
10:30 am
More times available
A gentle session for over 60s to ease joint mobility, improve agility, balance and self-awareness in movement. Every Friday 10:30am during term times. During term time only.
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Art Class: Armature Clay Workshop for Adults (over 2 days)
Saturday 29 February 2020
10:00 am
Please note this is a two-day workshop that runs on both Sat 29 Feb & Sat 7 Mar 2020. Learn how to make a figurative clay sculpture, inspired by Antony Gormley’s Field For the British Isles. Receive individual tuition…
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Talking About Trees
Saturday 29 February 2020
1:15 pm
Ibrahim, Manar, Suleiman and Altayeb are the members of the Sudanese Film Club founded in 1989. Unable to make films for years, they have decided to revive an old cinema. They are united not only by their love of…
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The Personal History of David Copperfield
Saturday 29 February 2020
3:20 pm
More times available
Armando Iannucci (The Death of Stalin, In the Loop) directs this zippily-paced, brilliantly funny adaptation of Charles Dickens’ autobiographical coming of age novel. Starting literally from his birth, David (played in later years by Dev Patel) is born into…
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Met Opera: Agrippina (Live)
Saturday 29 February 2020
5:55 pm
In the Met’s first-ever performances of Agrippina, Handel’s satire of sex and power politics, Sir David McVicar reconceives a production evoking a scandalous world in which the Roman Empire never fell but simply kept going right up to the…
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Royal Opera House: The Cellist/Dances at a Gathering (Encore)
Sunday 1 March 2020
2:00 pm
The Royal Ballet presents the world premiere of Cathy Marston’s first work for the Company on the Main Stage alongside a revival of Jerome Robbins’s timeless classic of pure dance. Cathy Marston has previously been an Associate Artist of…
Find out moreCinema
Fando & Lis
Sunday 1 March 2020
4:45 pm
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s (El Topo, The Holy Mountain) directorial debut, Fando and Lis, premiered at the 1968 Acapulco Film Festival where the audience erupted in riot. The movie was subsequently banned in Mexico. The film tells the story of a…
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Her Sketchbook
Monday 2 March 2020
7:30 pm
Mami (KADOWAKI Mugi) is an otaku and a hikikomori (shut-in). Worried about her future, Mami’s father finds her a job as a videogame tester, where she meets Ryotaro (MIURA Takahiro). Encouraged by him to draw game characters for the company, she takes her first tentative steps towards new opportunities.
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Art Class: Acrylic Painting
Tuesday 3 March 2020
11:30 am
More times available
Led by Colchester Art Society artist Sally Delany, this course gives you the opportunity to learn and develop acrylic painting techniques. Painting from images and still life, you will receive individual tuition and guidance from the artist to learn…
Find out moreCourses, Clubs & Classes
Art Class: Springtime Inspired Printmaking
Tuesday 3 March 2020
6:30 pm
More times available
Be inspired by the colours, shapes and patterns of spring in Firstsite’s new printmaking workshop. Each session explores a different relief print method, where you’ll make your own handmade printing blocks. Experiment with different colour combinations and application techniques,…
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Queen & Slim
Tuesday 3 March 2020
7:30 pm
Joining a legacy of films such as Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma & Louise, Queen & Slim is a powerful, consciousness-raising love story that confronts the staggering human toll of racism and the life-shattering price of violence.
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Parasite
Friday 6 March 2020
8:15 pm
More times available
From the imagination of Bong Joon Ho (Okja, Snowpiercer, The Host), Parasite finds a family of grifters worming their way into an upper-class family’s perfect world. The Kims are living a marginal life when their son fakes his way…
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Free
Bazaar | Art and Food Market
Saturday 7 March 2020
10:30 am
More times available
Bazaar is a monthly market of unique items by local makers, artists, upcyclers and crafters. Support your local community and small businesses while personalising your home and life in a way no one else can – and grab a…
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Ride Your Wave
Saturday 7 March 2020
3:30 pm
After young firefighter Minato (KATAYOSE Ryota) rescues avid surfer Hinako (KAWAEI Rina), the two fall in love. But Minato’s life is cut short in an accident at sea causing the distraught Hinako to stay away from the ocean; until the day she hums their song and he appears in the water…
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Art Class: Clay Workshop for 5 to 8 years old
Sunday 8 March 2020
11:00 am
Come and play with clay at Firstsite! Working with clay in a relaxed environment, local artist Iris Gunnarsdottir will guide you in molding your very own figure inspired by our current exhibition, Antony Gormley: Field for the British Isles….
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Art Class: Clay Workshop for 9 to 12 Year Olds
Sunday 8 March 2020
1:00 pm
Come and play with clay at Firstsite! Led by local artist Iris Gunnarsdottir and inspired by our current exhibition Field for the British Isles by Antony Gormley, this course gives you the opportunity to work with clay in a…
Find out moreCinema
NT Live: Cyrano de Bergerac (Encore)
Sunday 8 March 2020
2:00 pm
More times available
James McAvoy (X-Men, Atonement) returns to the stage in an inventive new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, broadcast live to cinemas from the West End in London. Fierce with a pen and notorious in combat, Cyrano almost has it…
Find out moreCourses, Clubs & Classes
Art Class: Clay Workshop for 13 to 17 Year Olds
Sunday 8 March 2020
2:30 pm
Led by local artist Iris Gunnarsdottir and inspired by our current exhibition Field for the British Isles by Antony Gormley, this course gives you the opportunity to work with clay in a relaxed environment. You will receive individual tuition…
Find out moreCinema
I Go Gaga, My Dear
Monday 9 March 2020
7:30 pm
Filmmaker Nobutomo begins to notice gradual changes affecting her nonagenarian mother. Turning the camera on her parents’ life, she presents an intimate portrait of the highs and lows of a family living with Alzheimer’s and the reality of geriatric care in Japan’s super ageing society.
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John Ball: The Great Grandfather of English Socialism
Thursday 12 March 2020
7:30 pm
Born outside Colchester in the decade before the Black Death, English Priest John Ball lead the first popular revolution in English history – the disparagingly and misleadingly entitled Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. The rebellion failed and Ball was executed,…
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Essex Book Festival: True Freedom with Michael Dean
Saturday 14 March 2020
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Set in Boston and London over sixteen years, True Freedom is a panoramic account of how America came to fight Britain for its freedom in the eighteenth century. In his novel Michael Dean takes us right to the heart…
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Essex Book Festival: Tallulah Goes to the Festival with Rachel Jane
Saturday 14 March 2020
11:00 am - 11:45 am
Join children’s author Rachel Jane for a Campervan storytime and craft session. Sing along with Tallulah the Campervan as she counts down the days to her first festival and get into the Festival spirit by decorating your very own…
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Essex Book Festival: Wild Writing Workshop with James Canton
Saturday 14 March 2020
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
James Canton is a nature and travel writer who leads the MA in Wild Writing at University of Essex. Join James for a workshop which delves into the nature that exists in the cracks between our human constructs, in…
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Essex Book Festival: Colchester’s Literary Legacy – A Guided Walk with Josie Watson
Saturday 14 March 2020
12:00 pm
More times available
Throughout its history, Colchester has been the inspiration and setting for many novels. This guided walk will take you on a literary quest to discover serpents, detectives, serving wenches and many other fictional characters and their creators who have…
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Essex Book Festival: Writing Sustainable Tourism
Saturday 14 March 2020
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Is your safari self-indulgent or the last defence of the big five, exploitation of the locals or a way to offer them new opportunities? Travel is the world’s largest industry and, some would say, one of its most destructive….
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Essex Book Festival: Dragon Detective Workshop with Gareth P. Jones
Saturday 14 March 2020
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
The Dragon Detective is in town and he needs your help to solve a mystery, but author Gareth P Jones is also in town and he needs your help writing one. In this interactive event, you the audience become…
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Essex Book Festival: Blogging Workshop
Saturday 14 March 2020
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Are you considering a career in travel writing? This blogging workshop will give you plenty of tips for getting started. Essex Book Festival is one of the highlights of the Essex cultural calendar. Each March it hosts over 100…
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Essex Book Festival: Brave New Worlds Discussion
Saturday 14 March 2020
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Fancy taking the plunge into some Brave New Worlds in 2020? Learn how to travel safely off the beaten track from the people in the know. Essex Book Festival is one of the highlights of the Essex cultural calendar….
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Essex Book Festival: Imagination and Creation Workshop with Josie Dom
Saturday 14 March 2020
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Join children’s author Josie Dom in a lively workshop where you’ll start by creating your story character using craft materials. As a group we’ll talk about story ideas and then you’ll use items from nature to create a story…
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Essex Book Festival: Writing the Archive with Syd Moore
Saturday 14 March 2020
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
An international gallery and creative community space, Firstsite, is bursting with art and amazing artefacts. What finer place could you pick to host a creative writing workshop? Taking your inspiration from the gallery, you will work with bestselling novelist,…
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Essex Book Festival: Under a Wartime Sky with Liz Trenow
Saturday 14 March 2020
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Under a Wartime Sky is an enthralling historical novel by Liz Trenow, based on the real-life events at Bawdsey Manor, a top-secret wartime research station. It tells the story of the heroes behind the discovery of radar, an invention…
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Met Live: Der Fliegende Hollander
Saturday 14 March 2020
5:55 pm
For the first time at the Met, Sir Bryn Terfel sings the role of the mysterious Dutchman, condemned to roam the seas for eternity, with Anja Kampe as the devoted Senta, whose love can set him free.
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Essex Book Festival: Writing on Place in a Changing World with Joanna Pocock
Sunday 15 March 2020
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Have you ever tried to pin down the places you’ve travelled through with words? Do you yearn to link your story to the ground under your feet? This writing workshop will be looking at how writers place themselves in…
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Essex Book Festival: All at Sea? With Ken Worpole & Hana Loftus
Sunday 15 March 2020
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
The unusually long coastline of Essex makes it especially vulnerable to flooding. Writer and social historian Ken Worpole – who lived on Canvey Island as a child and has written extensively about the 1953 floods – will be in…
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Essex Book Festival: Brave New Words – The Power of Writing Now
Sunday 15 March 2020
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Brave New Words is a collection of fifteen specially commissioned essays from distinguished authors exploring the value of critical thinking, the power of the written word, and the resonance of literature in the twenty-first century. Editor, literary activist, writer…
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Essex Book Festival: Apples, Orchards and Community
Sunday 15 March 2020
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Two different talks with a common thread. Hear Adrian May discuss how apples are closer to human life than Nature with a capital N. Can that tell us something useful about ourselves as part of the environment? Marina O’Connell…
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Essex Book Festival: Smashing It – Working Class Artists Making It Happen
Sunday 15 March 2020
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Smashing It celebrates the exceptional works and words of 30 leading working-class artists in Britain. Find out how they overcame obstacles – from the financial to the philosophical – to forge careers in the arts. Four of the most…
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Essex Book Festival: Writing for Radio Masterclass with Robin Brooks
Sunday 15 March 2020
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Robin Brooks has over twenty years’ experience of writing original plays and adaptations for BBC Radio. He is perhaps best known for his adaptation of Joyce’s Ulysses and his Robert Graves series: I, Claudius and Claudius the God. This…
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Essex Book Festival: Blackwaterside with Ultramarine and Philip Terry
Sunday 15 March 2020
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Ultramarine (Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond) present Blackwaterside, performing music inspired by their time working close to the Blackwater estuary. The performance will feature Philip Terry reading poems from his Quennets collection and a screening of the Blackwaterside film…
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Essex Book Festival: The Power of Protest – Where Should We Draw the Line?
Sunday 15 March 2020
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Join Observer columnist Kenan Malik, legendary LGBT campaigner Peter Tatchell and actor Stella Odunlami for a debate on whether we should stand up for the right to protest. Chaired by Index on Censorship editor in chief Rachael Jolley. Essex…
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Essex Book Festival: The Word From Paris with Philip Terry and Tony White
Sunday 15 March 2020
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
The Penguin Book of Oulipo book launch. This is the first collection in English to bring together 100 pieces of “Oulipo” writing. Editor and translator Philip Terry will be joined by novelist Tony White to read and discuss selections…
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The House Where the Mermaid Sleeps
Monday 16 March 2020
7:30 pm
Teetering on the edge of divorce, a couple is faced with tragedy when their daughter becomes brain dead with little chance of recovery following an accident. Confronted by an impossible decision, the parents must seek alternative solutions in a bid to keep her alive…
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Royal Opera House: Fidelio (Live)
Tuesday 17 March 2020
7:15 pm
Beethoven’s only opera is a masterpiece, an uplifting story of risk and triumph. In this new production, conducted by Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann plays the political prisoner Florestan, and Lise Davidsen his wife Leonore (disguised as ‘Fidelio’) who daringly…
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Free
Colchester Record Fair
Saturday 21 March 2020
10:00 am
More times available
Colchester’s Record Fair returns to Firstsite – a treat for both enthusiasts and casual collectors alike. Come browse through stall holders’ collections of vinyl and CDs from a vast range of genres. Grab yourself a bargain – or perhaps something a little rarer.
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Our Meal for Tomorrow
Saturday 21 March 2020
3:20 pm
More times available
After participating in their school’s sack race, an unlikely romance begins between an introverted Hayama (NAKAJIMA Yuto) and outspoken Uemura (ARAKI Yuko). As their lives unfold over the next 7 years, can they overcome obstacles and continue sharing meals in good times and bad?
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Royal Opera House: Fidelio (Encore)
Sunday 22 March 2020
2:00 pm
Beethoven’s only opera is a masterpiece, an uplifting story of risk and triumph. In this new production, conducted by Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann plays the political prisoner Florestan, and Lise Davidsen his wife Leonore (disguised as ‘Fidelio’) who daringly…
Find out moreCinema
Little Nights, Little Love
Monday 23 March 2020
7:30 pm
Sato (MIURA Haruma) is a singleton in his late 20s, longing for the perfect meet-cute to kick start his love life. One day, he meets Saki (TABE Mikako) in an unlikely encounter on the street, soon sparking a romantic connection. Is it a miracle? Based on a story by one of Japan’s most popular novelists, the story asks what is necessary in attaining happiness in a relationship
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My Love Story!!
Friday 27 March 2020
2:00 pm
More times available
Takeo (SUZUKI Ryohei) is a lovable giant admired by his fellow male students but struggling to find his own love story – girls tend to be repelled by his hulking looks or fall for his best friend (SAKAGUCHI Kentaro). That is until the day he saves Rinko (NAGANO Mei) from a pervert…
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Free
Tell me the story of all these things
Saturday 28 March - Sunday 28 June 2020
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Firstsite and the Arts Council Collection present ‘Tell me the story of all these things’, featuring artworks made by some of Britain’s best-known artists, including Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Cornelia Parker and Gillian Wearing – each selected by radical…
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Royal Opera House: Swan Lake (Live)
Wednesday 1 April 2020
7:15 pm
While remaining faithful to the Marius Petipa/Lev Ivanov text, Scarlett’s additional choreography and John Macfarlane’s magnificent designs breathe new life into what is arguably the best-known and most-loved classical ballet. The entire Company shines in this eternal tale of…
Find out moreCinema
Royal Opera House: Swan Lake (Encore)
Sunday 5 April 2020
2:00 pm
While remaining faithful to the Marius Petipa/Lev Ivanov text, Scarlett’s additional choreography and John Macfarlane’s magnificent designs breathe new life into what is arguably the best-known and most-loved classical ballet. The entire Company shines in this eternal tale of…
Find out moreCinema
Exhibition on Screen: Easter in Art
Tuesday 7 April 2020
7:30 pm
The story of Christ’s death and resurrection has dominated western culture for the past 2000 years. It is perhaps the most significant historical event of all time, as recounted by the gospels but, equally, as depicted by the greatest…
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Met Opera: Tosca (Live)
Saturday 11 April 2020
5:55 pm
Sir David McVicar’s bold staging of Puccini’s operatic thriller returns with star soprano Anna Netrebko as the passionate title diva, opposite Brian Jagde as her lover, the idealistic painter Mario Cavaradossi.
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David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet – Live From the World Premiere
Thursday 16 April 2020
7:25 pm
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with David Attenborough live from the World Premiere at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is…
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Art Class: Zine Binding
Saturday 18 April 2020
10:00 am - 2:30 pm
Design and create your own zine in a one day workshop with local artist, Tristan Howe. Inspired by the themes in Firstsite’s exhibition ‘Unravelling New Futures’, you’ll receive individual tuition and guidance from the artist to learn skills in…
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David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet + recorded Q&A at the World Premiere
Saturday 18 April 2020
5:00 pm
The film will be followed by a Q&A with David Attenborough, recorded live from the World Premiere at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary…
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Royal Opera House: Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci (Live)
Tuesday 21 April 2020
7:00 pm
These two short Italian operas are each regarded as the composers’ masterpiece, and are brought together in a new staging by award-winning director Damiano Michieletto, who sets both operas in a poverty stricken village in 1980s southern Italy, where…
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Royal Opera House: Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci (Encore)
Sunday 26 April 2020
2:00 pm
These two short Italian operas are each regarded as the composers’ masterpiece, and are brought together in a new staging by award-winning director Damiano Michieletto, who sets both operas in a poverty stricken village in 1980s southern Italy, where…
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Royal Shakespeare Company: King John
Wednesday 29 April 2020
7:00 pm
A mad world of mad kings, teetering on the brink of disaster! Richard the Lionheart is dead. His brother John is King of England. Threatened from all sides by Europe, the English noblemen and even his own family, King…
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Met Live: Maria Stuarda
Saturday 9 May 2020
5:55 pm
Donizetti’s drama, focused on the political and personal rivalry between two queens, returns to the Met with Diana Damrau as the doomed Mary, Queen of Scots, and Jamie Barton as her rival, Queen Elizabeth I.
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Boudicca: The Face of a Celtic World
Thursday 14 May 2020
7:30 pm
When Iceni king Prasutagus died, Boudicca rebelled with such ferocity her name was heard throughout the Empire. That story is well known, but did Boudicca and her tribe act alone? Or was her destruction of Colchester at the fore…
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NT Live: The Welkin (Live)
Thursday 21 May 2020
7:00 pm
One life in the hands of 12 women. Rural Suffolk in England, 1759. As the country waits for Halley’s comet, a young woman is sentenced to hang for a heinous murder. When she claims to be pregnant, a jury…
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Royal Opera House: The Dante Project (Live)
Thursday 28 May 2020
7:15 pm
Dante’s Divine Comedy is an epic journey through the afterlife: it encompasses the horrifying drama of Inferno and its damned, the lyrical mysticism of pilgrims on mount Purgatorio and the dazzling spheres of Paradiso with their endless configurations of…
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Royal Opera House: The Dante Project (Encore)
Sunday 31 May 2020
2:00 pm
Dante’s Divine Comedy is an epic journey through the afterlife: it encompasses the horrifying drama of Inferno and its damned, the lyrical mysticism of pilgrims on mount Purgatorio and the dazzling spheres of Paradiso with their endless configurations of…
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NT Live: The Welkin (Encore)
Sunday 7 June 2020
2:00 pm
More times available
One life in the hands of 12 women. Rural Suffolk in England, 1759. As the country waits for Halley’s comet, a young woman is sentenced to hang for a heinous murder. When she claims to be pregnant, a jury…
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Royal Shakespeare Company: The Winter’s Tale
Wednesday 10 June 2020
7:00 pm
Set across a 16-year span from Mad Men to the moon landings, this new production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale imagines a world where the ghosts of fascist Europe collide with horrors of The Handmaid’s Tale, before washing up…
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Berliner Philharmoniker: Live Season Finale
Friday 12 June 2020
6:30 pm
Enjoy the conclusion of the Berliner Philharmoniker 2019/20 Live Cinema with Gustavo Dudamel conducting Mahler’s powerful Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Resurrection”. This spectacular Season Finale Concert will be broadcast live from Berlin and will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews and…
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Royal Opera House: Elektra (Live)
Thursday 18 June 2020
7:45 pm
Strauss’s thrilling and audacious adaptation of Greek tragedy receives a new staging by the award- winning director Christof Loy. This uncompromising opera, about a daughter intent on bloody revenge and a mother driven to madness, has provoked critics to…
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Royal Opera House: Elektra (Encore)
Sunday 21 June 2020
2:00 pm
Strauss’s thrilling and audacious adaptation of Greek tragedy receives a new staging by the award- winning director Christof Loy. This uncompromising opera, about a daughter intent on bloody revenge and a mother driven to madness, has provoked critics to…
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Exhibition on Screen: Frida Kahlo
Monday 6 July 2020
7:30 pm
This highly engaging film takes us on a journey through the life of one of the most prevalent female icons: Frida Kahlo. She was a prolific self-portraitist, using the canvas as a mirror through all stages of her turbulent…
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Royal Shakespeare Company: The Comedy of Errors
Wednesday 15 July 2020
7:00 pm
How do any of us really know who we are? A man arrives in a strange town only to find that everyone knows his name, but thinks he’s someone else. A woman wonders why her husband is not the…
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Royal Shakespeare Company: Pericles
Wednesday 23 September 2020
7:00 pm
Forced to flee his native land, Pericles becomes a refugee at the mercy of sea and strangers. Scarred by the heartbreaking loss of family and home, he submits to the rhythms of the ocean in the hope of a…
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How refugees saved Colchester
Thursday 24 September 2020
7:30 pm
In the sixteenth century, large numbers of skilled craftspeople from lowland Europe made their way to Essex. As religious refugees, they sought peace – and the opportunity to ply their trades. Join historian and honorary fellow of the Department…
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Thatcher: The Colchester years
Thursday 26 November 2020
7:30 pm
A member of Colchester’s hockey club and the borough’s Young Conservative group, Oxford chemistry graduate Margaret Roberts wrote extensively from her lodgings in Cambridge Road, Colchester – as she secured the early stages of her political career. Join historian…
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