SoapBox is the best poetry gig outside London; a loose collective of wordsmiths, poets, and cads hailing from all corners of the Eastern counties. With a love of the silly and the sublime in equal measure, no two shows are ever the same. Meet the poets who never left for the Big Smoke, pay reasonable rents, fork out less than £3 for a pint, and are subsequently some of the most cheerful folk you’ll ever run into. So come along to the Amphitheatre, get on the soapbox and see the best stand up poets you’ve never heard of. Compère and clown Tom Butterworth is one half of comedy theatre duo Rapid Gambit, and co-writer of the critically-acclaimed Sh*tty Deal Puppet Theatre, along with poet Andy Bennett. Andy is a witty poet in his own right, and his epic poem, Donjon, is due to be published by Nasty Little Press in 2014. Andy is also the founder of the 28 Sonnets Later poetry collective, along with Leanne Moden. Leanne is the only lady in the group so it’s safe to assume she is pretty kick-ass. Last year she won the Cambridge Hammer & Tongue Slam, has just finished a stint as Fenland Poet Laureate, and has been published internationally. Rowan James is an Ipswich beat poet, delivering spoken word in a quick-fire machine-gun style; a hybrid of Punk and Hip Hop that holds social equality at its very core. Mixy is best known for his rap battling with Don’t Flop and for being one half of the spoken word double act Dead Poets. His last trip to Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his solo show ‘Content’ gained him praise from The Scotsman and a whole host of new fans.