And it most certainly was an evening with pulse. #Pulse15 to be precise.

It was day 6 of the 10 day festival and we were booked in for a full evening of events that took us from the New Wolsey Theatre, to the New Wolsey Studio to the High Street Exhibition Gallery, a cultural quarter of Ipswich, and all within a short walking distance of each other.

This was an evening of story-telling, and the first was that of a 15 year old girl, living in war torn Serbia and Croatia. With parents who generate from these separate countries there is more than physical bombing and shooting that is tearing the family apart. The translated story is told 24 years later, not by the girl, who is now a woman, but by an English speaking man. The diary is read out loud just as it is written, and is unrehearsed, raw and compassionate. At times the man has to check pronunciation and meaning of some of the words that are not translated.

This was a powerful start to the evening, cut short as the story-telling overran, and with a second (and third) performance to follow, there was no time for post-performance discussion - something that I was desperate to engage with.

Note to performers - please come back to the New Wolsey Theatre soon, I’d love to hear the full story next time, and learn more than the edited version, and for there to be the opportunity for audience discussion afterwards.

A gentle walk to the New Wolsey Studio, and time for a cheeky Cider and a packet of Cheese and Onion crips before we sat down for Stand (an oxymoron if ever there was one!). Again, the studio was packed, with the audience shuffling along the benches to allow room for just one more.

The stage was simple. Six stools, six microphones, six simple backdrops and simple lighting. The six actors arrive, and we are quickly introduced to the play. The storyline is simple, yet complex. Simple in that it is the story of what makes a person stand up for something or someone, complex in that each person’s story, each person’s reason is different and can only have full meaning and understanding for that person.

Yet, and despite this, each actor conveys the true story of the person who has been captured previously by the interviewer. From standing up for animal rights, for the action against climate or environmental change, for the right to walk on a motorway, or the right to raise and nurture a child so that they themselves develop the confidence to speak up for themselves, all these stories were unique, principled and heart-touching.

Stand-ovation and much hand-clapping by the audience, Bravo! Come back to New Wolsey for a longer run please - I want others to enjoy your stories too.

How many times can I say brilliant in a sentence without you switching off? Can I say that every brilliant moment, every brilliant word spoken, every brilliant interaction with the audience, every brilliant laugh and every brilliant touching element of Every Brilliant Thing was just that - it was brilliant.

Every Brilliant Thing is the story of capturing ‘things’, things that are brilliant - such as staying up late and eating pizza in bed, or having a piano in your kitchen. This was number 334 (if I remembered rightly) of a whole list of things that was started when a young boy was seven. A son of a mother who suffers from depression and who makes frequent attempts to take her own life. The list is this young boy’s attempt at trying to help his mum to see how much life has to offer. The story, and the list, continues into his adulthood, and the audience is carried on the journey of life, meeting the university professor, the girlfriend who would become his wife, his dad, and the school teacher who he turned to in later life again in an attempt to try to help him recognise his own depression and need for help.

I say it again, this was a truly brilliant thing, and I wish this play was showing all week - it would be a complete sell-out!

Magical performances, loved them all. Thanks Pulse for a brilliant evening!