Exeter's Autumn Festival aims to help local talent. There will be theatre, music, art, comedy, poetry, Open Studios and storytelling. These will all have a local focus.

Exeter's Autumn Festival aims to promote local talent

Drama is very strong this year.  Actors from The Cygnet Theatre and Theatre Alibi will perform A Flying Visit and Terrible Trolls respectively. Exeter Alternative Theatre's production of Grand Guignol will be four short plays from the Theatre of Terror. Identity Crisis is a double bill of short plays.

Popular comedians Sam and Dave will perform again this year. And there will be a night of stand up comedy from Julia Jepson who returns to her home city.

There will also be music to suit all tastes from classical to klezmer. Among the classical performances, these well–loved local groups will perform:

· Exeter Symphony Orchestra
· Exeter Philharmonic Choir
· Exeter Bach Society
· Exeter Children's Orchestra

Lovers of contemporary music should check out 3 Daft Monkeys, Hazaar and the Easy Star All Stars.

Full details of venues, prices and how to book will be available towards the end of September.

Exeter Open Studios is the perfect opportunity for people to see over 30 different artists and craftspeople in the city working on their own premises. Shopping has never been so enjoyable! Exeter Open Studios 2010 

This year, we have linked the Autumn Festival to a Children's Literature Festival called EXEtreme Imagination. This has a whole feast of activity from 1 – 7 November. Highlights include Michael Morpurgo, Baroness Floella Benjamin, Bel Mooney and her dog Bonnie, and writer John O'Farrell. They will all talk about their books. There will be poetry and printmaking workshops; storytelling and sculpture trails, 5 minute plays in unusual locations, school's choirs performing young people's poems and lots of other exciting word-based events. This new festival resulted from a joint initiative between Exeter University, the Autumn Festival and many of the city's arts organisations. It is supported by the National Lottery through Grants for the Arts.