Victoria Nicholls Theatre festival organisers have announced they will return to stage the event next year in Halesworth.

Victoria Nicholls

Theatre festival organisers have announced they will return to stage the event next year in Halesworth.

And HighTide, which promotes the work of theatre actors, writers and directors, will expand its programme to run for 12 days at The Cut.

Immediately after this year's event, organisers could not confirm if it would be hosted by the arts centre, but artistic director Sam Hodges has now revealed the dates and said the event would be bigger than before.

"In the first year it was over three days and in the second it was over five. The idea for next year is to stretch it over two weekends which gives the general public much more opportunity to come along," he said.

As well as a packed programme at weekends, with plays, films and guest speakers, the £120,000 event will stage matinee and evening performances on weekdays.

And in a bid to draw aspiring young people from outside the area, a campsite will be set up for the duration of the HighTide festival, which will run from April 29 until May 10, 2009.

The festival's patrons include Love Actually star Bill Nighy, actress Sinead Cusack and ITV boss Peter Fincham, who is the festival's new president and who has a house in Walberswick.