Enthusiasm bubbles from Amy Wragg as she describes the home-grown entertainment scene in Norfolk.
Amy Wragg
Enthusiasm bubbles from Amy Wragg as she describes the home-grown entertainment scene in Norfolk. As the young woman behind Soapbox, which promotes events around Norwich and into the county, she has organised a diverse range of performances that have built up a wide following.And she is presently busier than ever making the last minute preparations for the Norwich Fringe Festival – which hits the city from May 7 to 22 – as well as running the Monday Night Alternative at Norwich Arts Centre.
“It’s my second year running the Fringe,” says Amy. “It currently seems like a huge mass of events that we are adding to every day. We have everything from a Spanish music night to acoustic sessions by local musicians, book readings to fairytale events, at 30-plus venues across Norwich.
“It is about amazing people coming together to share their talents and to show what a lot is going on here.”
Amy began running events in the summer of 2006 when she was looking for somewhere to perform her poetry alongside a musician friend. “It was really good fun, so I decided to develop that into more of a community idea,” explains Amy.
After studying at the University of East Anglia, she made Norwich her home and says she is constantly delighted by the talent and variety of the county’s performers.
“I think Norwich is enormously talented and the quality of emerging music and poetry is superb – we are ahead of the game in so many areas compared to the rest of the country.”
Amy, who still writes and performs poetry, has been selected for Arts Council England’s Escalator scheme as an emerging creative producer, and will be visiting festivals and events around the country this year to gain experience and ideas.
She says: “I genuinely love what I do and feel privileged to work with these people. I truly believe that Norwich is unique in the extremely high quality dedication and motivation of the artists that live here.”
Steve Forster, who runs SFP Communications, suggested her for “One To Watch” and comments: “I really think Amy is an inspirational and interesting figure who can inspire other young people and show that with dedication they can achieve their dreams. She is a success story for Norwich who is making a career out of doing exactly what she enjoys – running literature and music events that are popular with audiences and performers alike.”
Across Norfolk young people are setting a high standard in the arts, business, sport and more. Each month this year we will be looking at one such high achiever – and we need your help to find worthy young men and women to feature. If you would like to nominate a 16 to 24-year-old who has that certain spark and is doing something special, write to Angi Kennedy at EDP Norfolk Magazine, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, NR1 1RE or send an email to angela.kennedy@archant.co.uk
