Norwich Theatre is delighted to announce Limbik, a Norwich-based theatre company, as its first-ever Associate Company. The company will collaborate with Norwich Theatre to contribute to audience development, community engagement, and innovative creative practices.
Through a two-year journey, Norwich Theatre and Limbik will work in partnership, developing existing areas of mutual interest and uncovering new, unexpected opportunities. Their focus will be on investigating the nature of place, the role of communities, and the potential of technology within storytelling.
Working with partners such as Norwich University of the Arts, The University of East Anglia, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, and Cromer Artspace, they will create new work across Norfolk, inviting people of all ages to take part, telling stories of our county.
Jez Pike, Head of Creative Development at Norwich Theatre, said: “I’m delighted that Limbik has agreed to be Norwich Theatre’s first Associate Company. They are a company driven by curiosity, interested in our story and how they can be part of it, and committed to sharing their learning with others. They’ll open up new creative solutions across the organisation and work alongside us as colleagues.
“With the generous support of Arts Council England, Limbik will pilot fresh ways of working over the next two years, engaging more communities across our county, working with new partners and diversifying creative experiences. As Limbik develop, so will Norwich Theatre, and we can’t wait to begin that journey with them.”
Limbik Theatre is a Norwich-based company that creates new theatre and live performances in both the physical and digital space. Led by Sarah Johnson and Ben Samuels, the company’s genre-defying work extends from visual storytelling and physical theatre to interactive fiction, 3D spatial audio, site-specific performance, and immersive virtual reality.
Norwich Theatre has worked closely with Limbik since 2022, when it supported the development of Rebel Rabble, an immersive, outdoor production on Mousehold Heath inspired by the local history of Kett’s Rebellion.
Limbik’s Co-Director, Ben Samuels, said, “We are thrilled and honoured to be taking up this opportunity as an Associate Company at Norwich Theatre. Norwich Theatre’s support of local artists has really developed in the past couple of years, and it’s very exciting to be part of this new wave of collaboration.
Co-Director, Sarah Johnson, added, “Having a partner like Norwich Theatre gives us the chance to take bigger risks, reach more people, and hopefully break new ground together. We’re embarking on this journey filled with curiosity about where it will lead.”
The Associate Company is one of the five groups that make up the Creative Assembly, a collaborative approach to creative leadership that involves audiences, participants, artists, stakeholders, communities and partners that represent the make-up of the theatre’s region to co-deliver Norwich Theatre’s Creative Experiences Strategy. The five groups include Theatre Disruptors, Community Connectors, Young Cultural Leaders, Creative Advisory Group and Associate Company.
For information about Limbik or the Creative Assembly, click here.