GenFest 2025 returns to Royal & Derngate, Northampton, from 16–22 November, presenting new and established theatre and performance work. The fifth annual festival combines performances with workshops and one-to-one advice surgeries to help artists develop their pieces. Lou Chawner returns with his one-man show Sniff The Flowers, noting that early festival feedback helped the work evolve. The theatre also runs the Generate programme and will present four new 30-minute plays by University of Northampton students.
GenFest 2025 Returns to Royal & Derngate — A Week of New Work, Workshops and Audience Feedback
GenFest 2025 returns to Royal & Derngate, Northampton, from 16–22 November, presenting new and established theatre and performance work. The fifth annual festival combines performances with workshops and one-to-one advice surgeries to help artists develop their pieces. Lou Chawner returns with his one-man show Sniff The Flowers, noting that early festival feedback helped the work evolve. The theatre also runs the Generate programme and will present four new 30-minute plays by University of Northampton students.
04:49 PM, 11/15/2025Culture
GenFest 2025 returns to Royal & Derngate
GenFest 2025 will take place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton from 16–22 November, showcasing work by emerging and established theatre and performance artists across Northamptonshire and the East Midlands.
Now in its fifth year, the festival pairs an audience programme of performances with practical support for artists, including workshops and one-to-one advice surgeries designed to help artists develop and refine their work.
Lou Chawner, a three-year festival participant, returns with his one-man show Sniff The Flowers. He says early presentations at GenFest helped shape the piece: 'I took early versions there; now it has evolved. Actors came in and the feedback was really useful.' Chawner first performed an initial draft in November 2022 and told BBC Radio Northampton that the play draws on events from his life and that he is "looking forward to the feedback" from audiences.
Audiences at GenFest will be invited to give constructive feedback to artists, helping to shape the next stage of new projects. The theatre also runs an artist development programme called Generate, which supports the creation and development of artists' work.
Erica Martin, associate director at Royal & Derngate, said: 'We look forward to showcasing some amazing new work and welcoming people to a brilliant range of workshops and networking opportunities.'
The festival will also feature four new 30-minute plays created by students from the University of Northampton's acting programme. Royal & Derngate was recently named the UK's 'most welcoming' at a national awards ceremony — a point organisers say highlights the venue's commitment to artist support and inclusive audience engagement.
When: 16–22 November 2025
Where: Royal & Derngate, Northampton
Highlights: new works, workshops, one-to-one advice surgeries, audience feedback sessions, University of Northampton student plays, Generate artist development programme.