Thursday 26th May

• Event [3]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  FUNNY WOMEN AWARDS @ HOWTHELIGHTGETSIN - all evening pass

  All evening pass for Live and Night Sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.
  

   

  The pioneers of female funniness bring the UK’s biggest giggle-inducing comedic stars to Hay.

   

  Tonight's acts include Suzy Bennett, Jo Neary and Salena Godden.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [804]
  Full festival pass
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  HotDocs Pass

  We'll be screening a selection of cutting-edge documentaries from around the globe in conjunction with BBC Four and TVF International and inviting you to special post-show talks with their directors. The HotDocs Pass gives you access to all of our documentary events across the ten-day festival.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [2]
  Thursday 26 May 2011
  7:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Johan Degenaar: A Fairytale Philosopher

  From the film archives comes a unique look at a little-known philosopher, Johan Degennar, and his belief that fairytales can be seen as a way of understanding philosophy.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [4]
  Thursday 26 May 2011
  8:00pm
  Venue: Globe Hall
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Whose Award is it Anyway?

   Funny Women Awards @ HowTheLightGetsIn

   

  Funny Women is at the vanguard of nurturing and promoting female comedy talent, from new acts to the UK’s leading performers. Join us for a live comedy competition hosted by award winning comic Suzy Bennett and headlined by That Mitchell and Webb Look star Jo Neary.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [5]
  Thursday 26 May 2011
  10:00pm
  Venue: Globe Hall
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Salena Godden: Under The Pier

  Funny Women Awards @ HowTheLightGetsIn

   

  ‘Doyenne of the spoken word scene’ (BBC) and literary salon revivalist Salena returns to Hay with new work Under The Pier. Bursting with romanticism and longing, she’ll leave you captivated.

   

  ‘Like most artists of note - there is no one like her.’ - Lemn Sissay

  SOLD OUT

Friday 27th May

• Event [19]
  Friday 27 May 2011
  7:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Bernard-Henri Lévy

  TVF International Double Bill

   

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  Dashing French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy recently came to prominence for his intervention in Libya. In this frank and compelling interview he discusses his personal and professional lives.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [15]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  HOWTHELIGHTGETSIN OPENING PARTY - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night Sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.

   

  From brogues to spandex, join us for our explosive opening party.

   

  Tonight's acts include The Correspondents, The Mandibles, Ben De Vere and The Bee's Knees.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [20]
  Friday 27 May 2011
  8:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  The 10 Conditions of Love

  TVF International Double Bill

   

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  Political exposé and human drama, this is the story of Rebiya Kadeer: successful entrepreneur, mother, suspected terrorist. Chinese authorities attempted to block its screening at the Melbourne International Film festival. This is a story that needs to be told.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [21]
  Friday 27 May 2011
  10:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Cosmic Origins - Talk and Film

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  Cosmic Origins is an award-winning movie which maps out our local neighbourhood in the Universe, the Milky Way galaxy, and explains the latest ideas from cosmologists about how our Galaxy was made.

  SOLD OUT

Saturday 28th May

• Event [268]
  Saturday 28 May 2011
  2:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Jonny Blamey

  Jonny Blamey, analytic philosopher about town, influential figure in the revolution of love, and practitioner of the cockney knees up dance, returns to Hay to project a beam of pure love into the universe of experience.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [67]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Comedy Pass (Double Bill)

  All evening comedy pass for tonight's fantastic double bill: John-Luke Roberts and Henry Paker - see below for further details.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [68]
  Saturday 28 May 2011
  6:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  John-Luke Roberts Distracts you from a Murder

  John-Luke Roberts performs esoteric comedy to distract you from the bloody murder he will be committing during the show. A Guardian Pick of the Week, he's been awarded five stars by Time Out.

   

   ‘Brilliant solo debut’ - Independent

   

  NOTE - This event is included in THE SATURDAY SHINDING all evening pass below.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [69]
  Saturday 28 May 2011
  7:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Henry Paker’s CABIN FEVER

  Join Henry Paker for an hour of observational, surreal and improvised stand up. A regular on Comedy Central and BBC Radio 4, he has written for Mock the Week and Eight out of Ten Cats.

   

  ‘A star’ - Chortle

   

  NOTE - This event is included in THE SATURDAY SHINDING all evening pass below.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [62]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  THE SATURDAY SHINDIG - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.
  

   

  A wild, magical cabaret night of comedy, performance, film and some of the most danceable and exciting music around.

   

  Tonight's acts include Kyla la Grange, Gwilym Gold, Mount Kimbie, Ghostpoet and Client (dj set).

  SOLD OUT
• Event [71]
  Saturday 28 May 2011
  10:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  The First World

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  Multi-award winning documentary from the archives, examining the legacy of Pythagoras and Plato and their impact on the modern world. Includes historic footage of the American philosopher Richard Rorty.

  SOLD OUT

Sunday 29th May

• Event [119]
  Sunday 29 May 2011
  5:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  The Great Experiment

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  BBC Four HotDocs Triple Bill

   

  From the feminism of Germaine Greer to the right-wing economics of Friedrich Hayek, this is a unique opportunity to hear some of the most famous thinkers of our times - in their own words.

   

  In Association with The Open University.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [120]
  Sunday 29 May 2011
  6:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  What Makes Us Human?

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  BBC Four HotDocs Triple Bill

   

  In the 20th century, scientists, psychologists and philosophers sought to find out what makes human beings tick - is it nature or nurture?

   

  In Association with The Open University.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [113]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  SUNDAY SPECIAL - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night Sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.

  
  

  A spectacular night celebrating epic new talent. Expect multimedia, dancing lampshades and euphoric beats.

   

  Tonight's acts include Handshake, Peggy Sue, Lulu & the Lampshades, Man Like Me and Gaz Mayall.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [121]
  Sunday 29 May 2011
  8:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Storyville - Amnesty! When They Are All Free

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  BBC Four HotDocs Triple Bill

   

  Marking the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International, this BBC Four exclusive preview screening poses the fundamental question - has the human rights movement been able to hold back mankind's capacity for atrocity?

  SOLD OUT

Monday 30th May

• Event [161]
  Monday 30 May 2011
  7:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines – Director's Talk and Film

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  TVF Double Bill

   

  A new frontline has opened in Afghanistan. Thousands of Taliban and mujahedin soldiers have moved into the north of the country, further stretching the ISAF forces' attempts to contain the insurgency.

   

  Director Jamie Doran introduces the film.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [157]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  THE CABARET FUTURA PARTY - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.

   

  Our favourite oddball returns to the globe with a stunning selection of illusion, song, story and theatre.

   

  This pass includes Richard Strange presents, Ana Silvera and Barty.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [162]
  Monday 30 May 2011
  9:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Africa Rising - Director's Talk and Film

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  TVF Double Bill

   

  Narrated by Tilda Swinton and shot on a grand scale across great swathes of land, this controversial and colourful documentary highlights the failure of western policies in Africa, asking whether it is time to reconsider the role of aid workers on the continent.

   

  Director Jamie Doran introduces the film.

  SOLD OUT

Tuesday 31st May

• Event [189]
  Tuesday 31 May 2011
  7:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Chasing God

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  TVF International Triple Bill

   

  Narrated by Dawn French, this film asks why 75% of humans believe in a higher power. Scientists, atheists and religious leaders explore the motivation of mankind for believing in something bigger and more powerful than ourselves.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [185]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  R&R AT THE GLOBE - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night sessions, plus Film and Comedy sessions.

   

  After the bank holiday madness, enjoy an evening of beauty and melancholic musings.

   

  Tonight's acts include Bard, Pirouette and Camille O'Sullivan.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [190]
  Tuesday 31 May 2011
  8:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  The Teacher

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  TVF International Triple Bill

   

  This film takes the viewer on a reflective journey revealing the teachings of the Dalai Lama set against the dramatic backdrop of the Himalayas. Features exclusive interviews.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [191]
  Tuesday 31 May 2011
  10:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Drilling For Art

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  TVF International Triple Bill

   

  If your country has no cultural history, can you simply buy one? Drilling for Art focuses on Dubai and its ambitious plan to create an entire culture from scratch.

  SOLD OUT

Wednesday 1st June

• Event [208]
  Wednesday 1 June 2011
  2:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Rosemary Dun

  A Bristol poet, MC and stand-up. Rosemary has performed at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Polyverse Poetry Festival, SWALK, and Winchester Writers Conference. She is also an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing at The Open University.

   

  'Her deceptively disarming tone hides a satirical wit that's sharper than a pair of stilettos (and we're not talking shoes)' - Venue Magazine

  SOLD OUT
• Event [213]
  Wednesday 1 June 2011
  5:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Trevor Lock Preview

  Philosophical comedy genius pioneers new material from his forthcoming Edinburgh show before taking to the stage for tonight's Globe party.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [220]
  Wednesday 1 June 2011
  7:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Heavy Load - Director's Talk and Film

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  Heavy Load is a punk outfit subject to the inflammatory mix of ego, fantasy and desire that fuels any emerging band. The band is also, uniquely, made up of musicians with and without learning disabilities.

   

  Director Jerry Rothwell introduces the film.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [214]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  WICKED WEDNESDAY PARTY - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night Sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.

   

   A spectacular one-off line-up of some of the most original comedians in the UK, followed by some wild dancing.

   

  Tonights acts include Luke Wright, Helen Arney, Trevor Lock, Helen Keen and Mad Jack and the Hatters.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [216]
  9pm onwards
  Venue: Globe Hall
   
  

  Comedy Session

  Comedy Triple Bill

  Helen Arney, Trevor Lock and Helen Keen

   

  Three of the UK's best stand-up comedians head to the Globe.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [221]
  Wednesday 1 June 2011
  9:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Donor Unknown - Director's Talk and Film

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  Donor Unknown is a film about a new kind of 'family'. Linked by their connection to a single sperm donor, parents and children are creating and navigating a new set of relationships.

   

  Director Jerry Rothwell introduces the film.

  SOLD OUT

Thursday 2nd June

• Event [237]
  Thursday 2 June 2011
  3:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Film Session

  Lankelly Chase: A Selection of Short Films by Lefty Caligari

  Lefty Caligari's work embraces much of the ethos of AiM (Artists in Mind) in that his unique lexicon of filmic images and sound grow from the bed of his experiences with mental distress. Lefty's unique vision is an antidote to his suffering.

   

  In association with Lankelly Chase

  SOLD OUT
• Event [239]
  Thursday 2 June 2011
  4:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Film Session

  Lankelly Chase: Animated Minds

  The award-winning Animated Minds collection of short films uses real testimony from survivors of mental illness, combined with engaging and sometimes humorous visuals, to climb inside the minds of the mentally distressed.

   

  In association with Lankelly Chase

  SOLD OUT
• Event [244]
  Thursday 2 June 2011
  7:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Brains on the Box: turning philosophy into television

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  BBC Four Triple Bill

   

  Jonty Claypole, of BBC Four's forthcoming series In Their Own Words: Great Thinkers, looks at how some of the great minds of the 20th century have used television to communicate their ideas.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [245]
  Thursday 2 June 2011
  8:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  JUSTICE - A CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO THE 21st CENTURY

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  BBC 4 Controller Richard Klein will introduce the film and discuss it with audience members after the screening.

   

  There's a plane over London with a bomb on it. You have a suspect in custody, but he is refusing to speak. Can you torture him if you genuinely believe it will save hundreds of lives?

   

  This hypothetical scenario is just one of the moral dilemmas posed by renowned Harvard professor Michael Sandel in this documentary. Filmed in Boston, Berlin, London and Athens, it is an extraordinary philosophical travelogue which combines the biographies of three leading thinkers from the Enlightenment and the Ancient World with a thought-provoking examination of modern ideas of social justice and citizenship.

   

  This thought-provoking film includes interviews with contemporary philosophers, politicians and thinkers from all around the globe.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [241]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  THURSDAY EXTRAVAGANZA - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night Sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.

   

   Wormfood, London’s premier party starters, come to Hay with a selection of the best festival acts in the UK.

   

  Tonight's acts include MC Xander, Dizraeli and the Small Gods and Ewan Hoozami.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [246]
  Thursday 2 June 2011
  9:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  The First Movie

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  BBC Four Triple Bill

   

  Filmed in a village in the north of Iraq, The First Movie explores and revels in the magic of children's imaginations against the backdrop of a troubled region where thousands of families have been expelled from their traditional villages.

  SOLD OUT

Friday 3rd June

• Event [277]
  Friday 3 June 2011
  7:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  A Bipolar Expedition – Director's Talk and Film

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  The extraordinary story of Paul Downes, a 49-year-old businessman with bipolar disorder, who in 2009 invited 12 young Ukranian women, some of them part-time models, to join him in a Jamaican castle.

   

  Director Mark James introduces the film.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [272]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  THE FRIDAY KNEESUP - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night Sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.

   

   An evening of progressive, beautiful, danceable folk with some of the rising stars of this island’s burgeoning scene.

   

  Tonight's acts include Hannah Peel, Handshake, Jim Moray and Ewan Pearson.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [278]
  Friday 3 June 2011
  9:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  David Malone: The Secret Lives of Waves - Director's Talk and Film

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  Acclaimed documentary-maker David Malone delves into the secret life of ocean waves. In this elegant and highly poetic film he discovers a surprising connection between the life cycle of waves and human mortality.

   

  Director David Malone introduces the film.

  SOLD OUT

Saturday 4th June

• Event [311]
  Saturday 4 June 2011
  4:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Acoustic Session

  Richard Walters

  Oxford-based singer songwriter Richard Walters' new album proves his artistic talent with dreamy, string-driven pop.

   

  'Dazzlingly beautiful, fragile and mesmeric' - Clash

  SOLD OUT
• Event [322]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Comedy Pass (Triple Bill)

  All evening comedy pass for tonight's fantastic triple bill: Tony Law, Issy Suttie and Broderick Chow - see below for further details.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [323]
  Saturday 4 June 2011
  6:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Tony Law

  Chortle calls him a ‘demented genius’, whilst the Metro gives him five stars. Tony Law’s standuppy, sketchy, improvisational, arty little comedy show is for ‘people who are already funny.’

   

   ‘Clever and blithely zany, just what the doctor ordered’ - Telegraph

  SOLD OUT
• Event [324]
  Saturday 4 June 2011
  7:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Isy Suttie presents Pearl and Dave

  Best known as Dobby in Channel 4's Peep Show, Isy Suttie previews her brand new Edinburgh show Pearl and Dave. A thoroughly modern tale of a couple who meet online, narrated through their emails and webchats, Pearl and Dave is a funny and heartbreaking musical odyssey through cyberlove.

   

  ‘Comedy with heart and soul’ - Chortle

  SOLD OUT
• Event [318]
  All evening pass
  Venue: The Globe
   
  

  Live Session

  SHOOTING STAR PARTY - all evening pass

   All evening pass for Live and Night Sessions, plus Film and Comedy Sessions.

   

   Join us for a monster final night party with three of the most danceable bands in the world.

   

  Tonight's acts include Monster Ceilidh Band, United Vibrations, The Worm and Julio Bashmore.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [325]
  Saturday 4 June 2011
  9:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: Comedy

  Broderick Chow and the Centre for Dangerology

  Brody's on a big adventure: He's packed his compass, Canadian sense of justice and sandwiches. And just maybe, this time round, he'll finally destroy capitalism. Problem is, how do you get started? 'Easy, Tiger!' is a dynamic mix of stand-up, theatre and multimedia lecture, a comedy romp through the Marxist wilderness.

  SOLD OUT
• Event [326]
  Saturday 4 June 2011
  10:00pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Peep Culture

  Peep Culture plunges the lonely and ornery pop culture writer Hal Niedzviecki into reality TV and the internet in an effort to understand how human communication, friendship and social connection are changing.

  SOLD OUT

Sunday 5th June

• Event [359]
  Sunday 5 June 2011
  5:30pm
  Venue: The Stage
   
  

  Live Session: HotDocs

  Sacred Weeds

  Buy a HotDoc Ticket and see any other HotDoc for free. Valid throughout the festival.

   

  The viwer is thrown into a world of cultural ritual as volunteers are given hallucinogenic legal substances, some previously unknown, and a team of scientists carry out experiments and debate the physical and mental effects.

  SOLD OUT