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Box Office

Priority booking is now available to members of our Supporters Scheme with a special 15% Early Bird Discount running until 3rd July.

Please scroll down to view the entire programme. You can use the buttons below to navigate to specific dates, and use the options on the left hand side to filter events by theme, accessibility and age suitability. Or you can browse at leisure by downloading the brochure or schedule below.

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Multibuy Discounts

THURSDAY 8th OCTOBER

Thursday 8th October

    PARTNER FILM SCREENING

    Harold Fry.avif

    19:30 Abbeygate Cinema
    The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
    following An Evening with Rachel Joyce 18:00 United Reformed Church 

    When a retired pensioner sets off to post a letter and just keeps walking – 500 miles across England – he discovers that saving a dying friend might just save himself. Based on the best selling novel by Rachel Joyce.

    This partnership event must be booked direct with Abbeygate Cinema. Tickets £7.50 or £4.50 with code BURYLIT

    FRIDAY 9th OCTOBER

    Friday 9th October

      PARTNER FILM SCREENING

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      20:00 Abbeygate Cinema
      Captain Corelli's Mandolin
      following Smelling of Rooks with Lois de Berniéres 18:00 United Reformed Church 

      On a sun-drenched Greek island during WWII, a spirited Italian Officer and a local woman fall into forbidden love, torn apart by war, loyalty, and the wounds time leaves behind. Based on the best selling novel by Louis de Berniéres.

      This partnership event must be booked direct with Abbeygate Cinema. Tickets £7.50 or £4.50 with code BURYLIT

      Saturday 10th October

      SATURDAY 10th OCTOBER

      POST SHOW TALK

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      Sat 10 Oct, 7.30pm | After the evening performance, Andrew Wilson will be hosted by Margaret Meyer. Andrew is author of Beautiful Shadow – A Life of Patricia Highsmith.

      A Theatre Royal production inspired by the life of Patricia Highsmith, written by Joanna Murray-Smith.

      A gripping, psychological thriller.

      1995. The Swiss Alps.

      Patricia Highsmith, author of The Talented Mr Ripley, has retreated from the world. Surrounded by her collection of literature and antique weaponry, she finds solace in her cats, her cigarettes, and the silence of the mountains. The queen of the thriller has nothing left to prove.

      When a polished young man sent by her New York publisher arrives at her door, he appears to have one purpose: to persuade Patricia to write the final instalment of her best-selling Ripley series. The last outing for fiction’s most seductive and charming manipulator – Tom Ripley.

      But as day breaks over the mountains, it becomes clear that the charming stranger is set on a far more sinister mission…

      SUNDAY 11th OCTOBER

      Sunday 11th October

        PARTNER FILM SCREENING

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        14:00 Abbeygate Cinema
        The Prince and the Showgirl
        following Marilyn Monroe: Fact and Fiction of a Dazzling Life 12:30 Unitarian Meeting House

        In 1910s London, a stiff Eastern European prince and a vivacious American showgirl clash, flirt, and surprise each other – proving that charm and stubboness makes the most unlikely romance.

        This partnership event must be booked direct with Abbeygate Cinema. Tickets £7.50 or £4.50 with code BURYLIT

        POST SHOW TALK

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        Sat 17 Oct, 2pm | After the matinee performance, of SWITERLAND
        Jill Dawson will be hosted by Kate Sawyer.  Jill is author of The Crime Writer.

        A Theatre Royal production inspired by the life of Patricia Highsmith, written by Joanna Murray-Smith.

        A gripping, psychological thriller.

        1995. The Swiss Alps.

        Patricia Highsmith, author of The Talented Mr Ripley, has retreated from the world. Surrounded by her collection of literature and antique weaponry, she finds solace in her cats, her cigarettes, and the silence of the mountains. The queen of the thriller has nothing left to prove.

        When a polished young man sent by her New York publisher arrives at her door, he appears to have one purpose: to persuade Patricia to write the final instalment of her best-selling Ripley series. The last outing for fiction’s most seductive and charming manipulator – Tom Ripley.

        But as day breaks over the mountains, it becomes clear that the charming stranger is set on a far more sinister mission…

        2026 Season Sponsors

        If you or your business are interested in becoming a sponsor please get in touch.

        our 2026 Season Partners
        2026 Patrons, Honorary Patrons, Ambassadors, Angels, Supporters & Friends

        Mike & Judy Spenser-Morris, Caroline Marriage
        Nicola Upson, Margaret Meyer, Jill Dawson, Ashley Hickson-Lovence
        Gina Long MBE
        Tonia Dawson
        Nicholas Knight, Judith Grandi, Gwen Williams, Julie Eaton, Antony Hurden, Sheila Rush, Zigurds Kronbergs, Jo Keeley

        Sue Robinson, Pauline Hawes, Robert Felgate, Catherine Torres, Penny Turner

        Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival Team

        Artistic Director: Kate Sawyer Chair of Trustees: Julia Wakelam

        Organising Committee: Susan Pocklington, Jackie Burnett, Danielle Patrick, Kate Bolton, Nigel Bateson

        Social Media & Content: Sophie Smith-Bosanquet Food Programme Curator: Nic Miller

        PR Consultant: Fiona Smith - Smith & Baxter Technical Event Management: Alec Jarman

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        Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival CIO Charity no 1209140

        ©2023 by Bury St Edmunds Literary Festival. 

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