Spooky Goings On Return
to North Walsham
3 October 2025
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From the archive…
28 August 2017
Pop Up People’s Theatre to launch in North Walsham Town Centre with spooky goings on
Regular theatre will be making a comeback in North Walsham this October, with a season of shows all taking place in a new pop up theatre initiative, which will be run by a group of volunteers with New Stages, who currently run North Norfolk Youth Theatre, North Walsham People’s Choir and the town’s adult acting classes.
The function room of the Black Swan, down Black Swan Loke, will be transformed into a temporary theatre for October to December this year. The theatre will launch on 22nd October with a ‘spooky season’ which will include theatre shows from the People’s Theatre Company in the form of Jack the Ripper: a radio play, a series of ghost stories with North Norfolk Youth Theatre called The House and the Infamous Covert Cabaret night of song and comedy. The popular ghost walks around the town centre will also return to help with promotions and raise funds for the theatre programme.
Joseph Ballard, director of New Stages and the Pop Up People’s Theatre said:
“The Pop Up Theatre is all about presenting shows for North Walsham and the surrounding area – always ensuring a welcoming and friendly atmosphere and top shows that will be made in North Walsham for North Walsham.
It’s great to be presenting home-grown live theatre in the town, which is something I have championed for a few years with different shows and events. This is a really exciting opportunity for the community to get involved and support us, to ensure that North Walsham is known for good things to attract visitors, entertain locals and start building the evening economy in the town centre.”
After the Halloween events, the Pop Up People’s Theatre will keep going with the promise something big in the form of Jack And The Beanstalk in December as they hail the return of Christmas pantomime. All the Halloween shows and the pantomime will be written and directed by Joseph Ballard.
The Black Swan have partnered with New Stages to bring the theatre to life and the Showcase Gallery, long supporters of past productions will continue to act as their town centre box office.
Pictured above: Members of the People’s theatre team (l-r) Sheelagh Hopkins (Publicity Officer), Connor Worby (Young People’s Ambassador), Joseph Ballard (Director) and Emma Portway-Fox (FOH Manager)
2 May 2017
Losing the plot with murder in a small town:
New theatre group launch their first show
A new theatre group for adults, called North Walsham People’s Theatre, will perform their first show on 20th May.
Titled ‘A Small Town For Murder’, the play has been written by the show’s director, Joseph Ballard, who had started up the group under the umbrella of New Stages, which also runs North Norfolk Youth Theatre and North Walsham People’s Choir. The performance is based on a live broadcast of a radio play in front of an audience, which tells the twisted tale of a series of murders, based on the gossip and hearsay of a small market town.
The actors, their microphones and live sound-effects will all be visible as the assembled actors get to grips with their characters – until things go wrong and they try and keep up with the plot!
The group members have been rehearsing for just over a month and come from North Walsham and the surrounding area, including Norwich.
Sheelagh Hopkins from Eccles-on-Sea, who plays a number of different characters in the play, said:
“We have had so many laughs during rehearsals – parts of the script are very funny and along with the sound effects which are made in the old-fashioned way, we hope the audience will have as much fun as we’ve had making it!”
Joseph Ballard, the show’s director, said:
“The adult acting group is the new addition to the range of classes I’m leading here in North Walsham. We’re all looking forward to the first show, which is in the style of a radio play of the bygone era. For audience members who would like to make the most of an evening out, we’ve organised a fish and chip supper for before the show.
Those taking part are of all ages and experiences – but we all come together to learn from each other and present something that can be shared in the community.”
Bob White, who owns The Showcase Gallery in the Market Place who is selling tickets for the show, said:
“I’m very pleased to support Joseph and his new theatre company for North Walsham. We have supported him in the past and will continue to do so by providing a town centre ticket office where people can get their tickets here in person.”
New Stages 