We are delighted to announce that Dulce Duca has been commissioned to develop a new community-driven arts project to be performed at Witham’s Street Entertainment Festival in September 2025.

For this commission, Essex Cultural Diversity Project has teamed up with Witham Town Council who programme this exciting annual event. Formerly known as the Puppet Festival, Witham Street Entertainment Festival has become a main fixture in the town’s calendar.

When it comes to Street Art, we immediately thought of Dulce Duca for this commission. She is a contemporary circus performer known for her innovative, and sometimes bizarre, juggling techniques, playing with comedy and absurdity to find metaphorical ways to talk about real subjects and human emotions, from happiness and sadness, to rage and love. Originally from Portugal and now based in East Anglia, she has performed throughout the world. She is particularly skilled at channelling emotions through her performances, combining elements of physical theatre, circus, dance and juggling to create unique, surreal and expressive performances… and nearly always on roller skates!

Through her project – working title Witham Wonders: A Street Spectacle – Duca will invite local communities to a series of creative storytelling and performing art workshops throughout the Summer, working with them to co-create a final piece or a series of performances for Witham’s Street Entertainment Festival.

This will be a collective artistic expression in the form of fun and engaging street art, and a platform for the town’s residents to voice their thoughts, share perspectives, develop their artistic skills, and tell their stories in their own words.

“I believe it is hugely important and valuable for people to come together for free events in public spaces. These shared moments of joy remind us why it’s good to be alive and part of a community. My practice is a combination of deep listening, community inspiration, participatory creation, responsive artistry and artistic quality. I take time to understand the community’s specific needs and desires rather than imposing my own vision, making each show unique to that place and its people. Rather than just performing for audiences, I like to involve them actively in the shows, making them co-creators of the experience. My work adapts and responds to what I discover about each place, each community, embracing a flexible and evolving creative process.” Dulce Duca

dulceduca.com | witham.gov.uk/wtcevents/witham-street-entertainment-festival