The 22nd annual Hotbed Theatre Festival is heading to Cambridge Junction, with 32 hours of theatre performed across one weekend.
Presented by Menagerie Theatre Company in partnership with Cambridge Junction, the festival showcases 19 new productions from Friday, July 19 to Sunday, July 21.
Among the shows are international productions from Romania and Sweden, work from first-time young writers, and work by artists of national and international standing.
These include Steve Waters, who is regarded as a major contemporary voice exploring stories around climate change and environmentalism.
At the heart of Hotbed 24 is a major new play by Martha Loader, winner of the 2022 Bruntwood Prize (Judges Award) for playwriting.
Martha's play Albatross explores motherhood and the fragile boundaries of family bonds in the age of climate catastrophe.
This is the premiere production of Albatross before it transfers to London for an extended run and then embarks on a national tour in 2025.
Hotbed 24 also provides a platform for work from Hidden Voices - presenting work by three artists exploring disability, homelessness and living on the margins, all told from first-hand experience.
Guest productions at the festival include Lamphouse Theatre's Hammer Horror homage Frankenstein (On A Budget), Steve Waters' Phoenix, Dodo, Butterfly and Cambridge writer Tom Murray's new play Forgotten in the Land of Egypt.
Another play - Toy Stories by Chris Dobrowolski - promises to take the audience on a "hilarious storytelling adventure" through art, politics, history and toys, with the tagline "from toys to Nazis".
This is the only chance to catch the play before it heads to the Edinburgh Fringe in August.
Dates and times for the Hotbed Festival are available from www.junction.co.uk, with all tickets sold on a pay-what-you-feel basis.
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Attendees are recommended to get day passes to access every show on that day.
A festival spokesperson said: "This will be an extraordinary weekend for theatre lovers who want to see new writing come to life for the first time, and experience the energy and imagination that a weekend immersed in theatre brings.
"There’s up to 32 hours of new work to see!"
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