SHINING A LIGHT ON THE STORIES OF THE WORLD London International Festival of Theatre
12 June — 15 July liftfestival.com
The
Welcome to LIFT 2012
GreaT GaTsby F. Scott Fitz ge ra l d
‘a timeless evocation of the allure, corruption and carelessness of wealth, dancing its way into the Great Depression’ The Times
A V I N TA G E C L A S S I C www.vintage-classics.info
Photo: Elaine Duigenan
We all know 2012 is a special year for London and the UK. And, with the eyes of the world on our city, we’ve created a truly special festival that brings the best of the world to London. With a host of new commissions and partnerships this is a year of firsts. LIFT 2012 takes us into the West End for the first time in our history with Elevator Repair Service’s extraordinary Gatz, billed as the “theatrical event of the decade”. We have established a major partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s World Shakespeare Festival, presenting three new international productions that testify to Shakespeare’s power as a global property. We are thrilled to be part of the London 2012 Festival, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for London to present its best to the world as our city welcomes Olympians to the capital. And LIFT’s spirit of independence continues to shine brightly, with new commissions and presentations from some of the world’s most edgy,
provocative and political theatre makers. This year we delve even deeper into the hearts and minds of some of the most pioneering artists from the Middle East and the Arab world, who are responding to the seismic shifts sweeping across their societies. And we also venture into new territories including Iran, Belarus and Brazil. At the heart of the festival is a commitment to participation and involvement, creating new theatrical experiences that place you - the audience at the centre of things. So whether you’re immersed in the strange and seductive theatre world created by dreamthinkspeak, on stage at the Hackney Empire representing 1% of the capital in 100% London, running around a car park in Croydon or absorbed by every single, ravishing word of The Great Gatsby, LIFT 2012 will be a thrilling theatrical ride. Exciting times indeed. See you there! Mark Ball Artistic Director, LIFT
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Gatz Elevator Repair Service 8 June—15 July
June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com delfontmackintosh.co.uk gatzlondon.com 0844 482 5140
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Created and performed by Elevator Repair Service Directed by John Collins. Presented with Delfont Mackintosh and supported by the National Theatre
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Thurs 5 July Southbank Centre The Great Gatsby at London Literature Festival (see LIFT Talks page 41 for details)
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Noël Coward Theatre St Martin’s Lane Shows on Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun only £27.50—£77.50 2:30pm 23 performances only
July
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UK Premiere
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elevator.org
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#GatzLondon
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Photo: Paula Court and Mark Barton
“ THE MOST REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATRE NOT ONLY OF THIS YEAR BUT OF THIS DECADE” Ben Brantley, The New York Times One morning in the office Gatz sees LIFT in the West End for the first time of a mysterious small in its thirty year history, business, an employee bringing contemporary finds a copy of The Great performance into the heart Gatsby in the clutter on his desk. He starts to read of London’s theatre world. it aloud and doesn’t stop. Gatz, at eight hours long with three breaks including At first his co-workers a long dinner interval, hardly notice. But after will treat audiences to an a series of strange extraordinary and unique coincidences, the line theatrical experience, between fiction and that promises to be this reality becomes blurred. season’s hot ticket. Performed by the award-winning New “Shepherd gives as fine York ensemble Elevator a reading of these lines Repair Service, Gatz is as one could imagine… a spell-binding word-forGatz creates its own word staging of F. Scott dramatic universe.” Fitzgerald’s masterpiece Variety Magazine The Great Gatsby. Published in 1925, four years before the Great Crash, Fitzgerald’s account of a privileged generation cut adrift from its moral compass feels as resonant and telling now as it did then.
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An Adventure Map Coney Released from 12 June
June
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VISIT: liftfestival.com takemeon anadventure.net
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#adventuremap
“ AN EERIE AND ENDLESSLY INVENTIVE WONDERLAND”
Time Out on ‘Self-Assembly’ (#1 Critics’ Choice) this map is that it will Follow the map to get reinvent your relationship lost for a while and with this city, through become an explorer landmarks both imaginary in this city. Follow the and meaningful. adventures that give An Adventure Map this city back to you: might arrive through your looking brighter, more surprising, and bursting letterbox, or be found with a wink and a whisper from with possibilities. beneath a shop counter. An Adventure Map Who knows where your is a limited-edition map, journey will lead from there? containing within it the To begin, please go to: keys to discovering a collection of curated and crafted short adventures takemeonanadventure.net across London. The only thing we can reveal about youhavefoundconey.net
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World Premiere
Image: George Barron
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The Rest is Silence dreamthinkspeak 12—23 June
June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com riversidestudios.co.uk 020 8237 1111
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Commissioned by Brighton Festival with LIFT and the Royal Shakespeare Company
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dreamthinkspeak.com
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Riverside Studios £25 Performances at 4pm & 8pm See website for details (no performance on Monday 18 June) Post Show Talk: 13 June
worldshakespearefestival. org.uk
July
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#RestisSilence
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IMMERSE YOURSELF IN DREAMTHINKSPEAK’S MAGICAL INTERPRETATION OF HAMLET
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Photo: Emma Critchley
Much as Hamlet himself spoke of dreams from the ‘undiscovered country’, so dreamthinkspeak take Shakespeare’s epic tragedy into uncharted new territory for The Rest is Silence. dreamthinkspeak are famed for their site-specific works which have included versions of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment in an underground abattoir in Clerkenwell and Before I Sleep which was the biggest selling production in the history of the Brighton Festival. For The Rest is
Silence, dreamthinkspeak will be performing a unique interpretation of Hamlet within a bespoke, multireflective structure. Deconstructing text to present the play from multiple angles, the dreamlike perspectives of The Rest is Silence offer a fresh vantage point from which to survey one of Shakespeare’s most revered works. “dreamthinkspeak… quietly reinventing site-specific theatre” ★★★★★The Independent
Minsk 2011: A Reply To Kathy Acker Belarus Free Theatre 12—23 June AN AWARD –WINNING COMPANY THAT GIVES VOICE TO THOSE CRIPPLED BY OPPRESSION Welcome to Minsk – the sexiest city in the world! Strip clubs, underground raves and gay pride parades pulse beneath the surface of a city where sexuality is twisted by oppression. If scars are sexy then Minsk must be the sexiest city in the world. A love letter to a home that exiles those willing to fight for it, Minsk 2011 celebrates and mourns a land that has lost its way. A rare opportunity to experience a provocative and heartbreaking show from a revolutionary company. Belarus Free Theatre
was founded in 2005 in Europe’s last surviving dictatorship; the company is one of the most outspoken critics of Belarus’ repressive regime. Many company members have served time in prison, lost their jobs, gone into hiding or been exiled. Despite this, the company continues to develop award-winning work with the support of artists around the world. Fringe First winner 2011
June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com youngvic.org 020 7922 2922
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Young Vic Theatre £10—£17.50 2:45pm & 7:45pm (no performance on Sunday 17 June) Post Show Talk: 13 June
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Performed in Russian with English surtitles
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Presented by Fuel and Belarus Free Theatre
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Devised by Belarus Free Theatre. Adapted and directed by Vladimir Shcherban
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fueltheatre.com
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#Minsk2011
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“What makes it heartrending is the knowledge that the events described are true.” ★★★★★The Daily Telegraph
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Photo: Nikolai Khalezin
You Once Said Yes Look Left Look Right 12 June—1 July
June
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WORKING BUILDINGS AND THE STREETS OF LONDON ARE THE BACKDROP FOR THIS ONE-ON-ONE THEATRE EXPERIENCE Starting at the Roundhouse and weaving through the hidden alleys of Camden, you are requested to leave your possessions and preconceptions behind as you are guided through a series of encounters. Your interactions with the people you meet will determine the path you take in this unique one-on-one experience. There are no spectators in this show, for this is your story and these characters know and are expecting you. A cast of compelling characters and thrilling stories await anyone willing to utter the
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magic word, Yes. Especially re-adapted for the streets of London, this Fringe First and Total Theatre award winner at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the latest production from Look Left Look Right, which places the audience at the centre of the action.
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Roundhouse £15 (first week only)—£20 Tue—Fri 5pm—7:50pm Sat—Sun 2:30pm—7:10pm Timed entry, one person at a time (no performances on Mondays) See website for details
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Presented with the Roundhouse
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Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Katie Lyons
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lookleftlookright.com
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#youoncesaidyes
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“A show that invites you to run with an unfolding series of one-on-one encounters across the city…it’s magical and unforgettable.” ★★★★★The Daily Telegraph “...sent me tumbling down a rabbit hole of wonder and surprise” ★★★★Evening Standard
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com roundhouse.org.uk 0844 482 8008
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Photo: Teymur Madjderey
White Rabbit, Red Rabbit Nassim Soleimanpour 17, 24 June & 1 July
June
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THE PLAYWRIGHT’S PRESENCE CAN BE FELT IN EVERY WORD, AS HE PERFORMS AN ACT OF THEATRICAL VENTRILOQUISM WITH PUPPETS WHO VERY MUCH HAVE MINDS OF THEIR OWN One of the most talked about shows at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe – White Rabbit, Red Rabbit – is a play in which the story and outcome are as much of a surprise for the performer as the audience. With no director and no set, a different actor each night reads a script penned by Nassim Soleimanpour, an Iranian playwright who, because he did not sign up for national service, found himself unable to leave his country. The actor will never have read the script
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com gatetheatre.co.uk 020 7229 0706
Gate Theatre, Notting Hill £10—£12 2pm & 5pm Inter—show talk: 24 June See website for details
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Presented by LIFT/Gate Theatre in association with Volcano (Canada)/ Necessary Angel Theatre Company/Aurora Nova Productions
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volcano.ca
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before; just the first of many twists as members #WhiteRabbitRed of the audience are then called on-stage to act out the other parts in Soleimanpour’s powerful parable. The playwright’s absence is symbolically marked by the empty chair reserved for him in the theatre, yet his presence can be felt in every word, as he performs an act of theatrical ventriloquism with puppets who very much have minds of their own.
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“...bold, experimental and bubbling with ideas.” Toronto Star
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Photo: Hilde Vanstraelen
66 Minutes in Damascus Lucien Bourjeily 19—24 June A GROUP OF TOURISTS FIND THEMSELVES IN THE MIDST OF REVOLUTION The artist who brought improvised theatre to the streets of Beirut during the political turmoil of 2008, Lebanese film-maker and theatre director Lucien Bourjeily, now brings the Syrian revolution disturbingly close to London in his new work 66 Minutes in Damascus. Inspired by the descriptions of Syrian detention centres from foreign journalists and local activists arbitrarily incarcerated by the autocratic regime, 66 Minutes in Damascus puts the audience in the place of a group of tourists who visit the
Syrian capital, only to be arrested by the Syrian secret service. Trapped in a web of intrigue and fear, the audience becomes similarly entangled in the strands of immersive, site-specific interactive theatre which Bourjeily has woven together throughout his career. Though located in the dark heart of one of the Middle East’s most bloody regimes, 66 Minutes in Damascus also reflects the reality of life under autocratic governments across the world. “A pioneer of improvised theatre” Time Out Beirut
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Shoreditch Town Hall £15 Performances every half hour Tuesday—Friday 5:30pm—9:30pm Saturday 2pm—9:30pm Sunday 2pm—9pm See website for details
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com richmix.org.uk 020 7613 7498
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Commissioned by LIFT and presented in association with Shoreditch Town Hall
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World Premiere
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bourjeily.com
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#66mins
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DISCLAIMER: 66 Minutes in Damascus is a physical, interactive experience and contains scenes that some may find disturbing. Participants will be required to stand for periods of time and are advised to wear flat shoes. The performance is not suitable for those with claustrophobia
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Photo: Supplied by artist
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The Coming Storm Forced Entertainment 19—23 June
June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com bac.org.uk 020 7223 2223
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The Coming Storm is co-commissioned and co-produced by PACT Zollverein, Essen; Festival Avignon; Theaterhaus Gessneralle, Zurich; Tanzquartier, Vienna; Les Spectacles Vivants - Centre Pompidou, Paris; Festival d’Automne à Paris; LIFT, London; Battersea Arts Centre, London; Sheffield City Council.
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Battersea Arts Centre £13—£17 7:30pm (Age 16+) Post Show Talk: 20 June
July
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UK Premiere
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forcedentertainment.com
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#thecomingstorm
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Photo: Hugo Glendinning
THE LATEST TOUR DE FORCE FROM THE UK’S MOST CELEBRATED PIONEERS OF EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE Forced Entertainment, the UK’s most celebrated pioneers of experimental theatre, have been turning theatre upside down and confronting audiences’ expectations for over a quarter of a century. In their latest tour de force, The Coming Storm, they turn their attention to narrative – deconstructing and reconstructing something like a ghost story to test the limits of the form. Employing devices from amateur dramatics, puppet theatre, song and naïve dance, they tell an epic story that is resolutely too big for the stage. This unwieldy narrative is absurd,
contradictory and might fall apart at any moment as it is overwritten, reshaped and cannibalised. In a style as inventive as it is clumsy, wrong-headed theatrical tricks take their place alongside broken dances, live music (featured for the first time in the group’s work) and increasingly frantic attempts to illustrate their blackly comic and haunting tale. “Theatre turned inside out.” The Sunday Times
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There We Will Be Buried A play by Yair Oelbaum 21—24 June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com ica.org.uk 020 7930 3647
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#therewewillbeburied
EXPLORING THE CONVERGENCE BETWEEN CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICE AND THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE Announcing the start of a new partnership, LIFT and ICA present There We Will Be Buried a unique play written and produced by Yair Oelbaum. With a cast including the renowned German artist Kai Althoff, this theatrical production is a visual arts response to the performing arts. With the ICA serving as a hub for visiting artists and festival-goers during LIFT 2012, together we will bring a lens to look at the convergence between contemporary art practice and theatrical performance. Oelbaum and Althoff play the two main characters, Orpah and Lydia - single mothers searching for a lost daughter. As infantile paupers, Orpah and
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Institute of Contemporary Arts £5—£12
Photo: John Salim
Lydia sustain their spirits through prayer – the only activity they’re truly capable of performing. Distracted, they swoon endlessly and are fractured into several simultaneous accounts of the same event. Everything that crosses their path remains with them for all time. Each character is represented, not only through their physical presence, but via prerecorded audio tape and on-stage video footage. There We Will Be Buried was commissioned by Focal Point Gallery and will subsequently be toured as part of the 2012 Whitney Biennial. LIFT and the ICA wish to thank Focal Point Gallery, as well as our supporters who have helped make the London premiere possible.
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Unfinished Dream Hamid Pourazari 21 June —1 July
June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com fairfield.co.uk 020 8688 9291
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Meet at Fairfield Halls entrance (Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1DG) to promenade to the car park £5.50—£11.50 8pm See website for details
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Commissioned by LIFT and presented in association with Perpanata Theatre Company
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World Premiere
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July
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Photo: Soroosh Milanizadeh
HAMID POURAZARI IS ONE OF THE MOST PIONEERING OF IRAN’S NEW GENERATION OF THEATRE MAKERS Hamid Pourazari is one of the most exciting independent theatre makers working in Iran. His work with some of Tehran’s most marginalised communities is visceral, visual and unashamedly bold. Following an inspiring introduction in Tehran, LIFT has commissioned Hamid with Perpenata Theatre Company, to create a new work with refugees and local residents in one of London’s most contrasting boroughs, Croydon, where wealthy commuters nestle alongside refugee communities. Through poetic storytelling and inventive promenade performance, Hamid will reveal some of the hidden and moving stories of refugees whose lives are currently in limbo, all within
the concrete confines of a city car park in Croydon. “We travelled across Tehran to the edge of the city to a disused abattoir to see 70 Afghan refugees joyfully reinvent Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle in Hamid Pourazari’s site-specific production. It was without doubt one of the most extraordinary pieces of theatre I have ever witnessed. The event was full of wonder and humanity. Travelling back on the bus the man next to me said ‘I feel more alive’...” Gavin Stride, Director, Farnham Maltings
Motor Show Requardt & Rosenberg 23—27 June
June
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A HEAD ON COLLISION BETWEEN MOTORING AND DANCE THEATRE A car arrives in a hidden wasteland in which a young couple, completely oblivious to anything other than themselves, kiss, fumble, argue, listen to music, and plan a world for each other. They joke, love, break up, get back together, kiss more, love more, discover and disregard their differences and make promises they can’t possibly understand. Their whole lives are stretched out before them and they are fireproof. Motor Show is an original large-scale outdoor dance performance; a wild and fragile spectacle in
an acre of forgotten land with the city skyline as a backdrop. The audience wears headphones which transport them aurally to the intimate interiors of the cars that they can see approaching from the distance. This is the strange new world of Requardt & Rosenberg – the creators of the 2010 award-winning production, Electric Hotel. Directed by Frauke Requardt and David Rosenberg with a sound score composed by Ben and Max Ringham. ‘Thrillingly intense… rich and rewarding.’ The Guardian (Electric Hotel)
Area 12, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0DX (TBC) Site entrance on corner of West Parkside and East Parkside FREE Booking essential 9:45pm
Booking opens 1 April liftfestival.com festival.org
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Please see LIFT and GDIF website for full venue details
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Commissioned by LIFT, Brighton Festival and Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Presented with Greenwich+Docklands International Festival. Supported by Arts Council England and the Without Walls consortium
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requardt-rosenberg.com festival.org
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#motorshow
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Photo: Susanne Dietz
LIFT 2012 Planner
Where the show is from
Page Number
Gatz
USA
02
An Adventure Map
UK
04
The Rest is Silence
UK
06
Minsk 2011
Belarus
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You Once Said Yes
UK
10
White Rabbit, Red Rabbit
Iran
12
66 Minutes in Damascus
Lebanon
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The Coming Storm
UK
16
There We Will Be Buried
USA
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Unfinished Dream
Iran
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Motor Show
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The Dark Side of Love
UK/ Germany Brazil
Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad
Iraq
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Ganesh Versus the Third Reich
Australia
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Before Your Very Eyes
Germany/ Belgium Germany
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Rio Artists Occupation
Tunisia/ France Brazil
STREB
USA
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Where the Heart Is
UK
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LIFT Talks
Various
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Noël Coward Theatre London
Riverside Studios
Young Vic Theatre Roundhouse
Gate Theatre
Shoreditch Town Hall
Battersea Arts Centre ICA
Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Area 12, Greenwich Peninsula Roundhouse
Riverside Studios Stratford Circus Unicorn
100% London Hackney Empire
Macbeth
Riverside Studios Battersea Arts Centre London
The Women’s Library
ICA/Freeword Centre 24
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liftfestival.com
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T W T F S S 10 11 12 13 14 15
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The Dark Side of Love Directed by Renato Rocha 26 June—8 July
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com roundhouse.org.uk 0844 482 8008
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Commissioned and produced by Roundhouse/LIFT in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company
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World Premiere
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worldshakespearefestival. org.uk
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Roundhouse £5—£12.50 Times vary between 4pm and 8:30pm each day See website for details (Ages 14+)
July
#darklove
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THE BASEMENT HUB OF THE ROUNDHOUSE IS TRANSFORMED INTO A DREAMLIKE UNDERWORLD
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It’s fitting that Brazilian director Renato Rocha will be staging his exploration of Shakespeare’s most painful and poignant moments deep in the Dorfman Hub beneath the Roundhouse. This unique underground space will be transformed into a dreamlike underworld that draws on the rich cultural influences of one of Brazil’s most exciting young directors and will be suffused with stunning
digital projections. Created over a year and in conjunction with 14 London teenagers who will perform in promenade, The Dark Side of Love is an intense and atmospheric exploration of young love. The audience are encouraged to lose themselves in the action, whilst the characters immerse themselves in the most extreme of emotions as they search for the light of love glimmering through the darkness.
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Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad Iraqi Theatre Company 27—30 June
June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com riversidestudios.co.uk 020 8237 1111
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Performed in Arabic with English surtitles Commissioned for the World Shakespeare Festival which is produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company for London 2012 Festival iraqitheatrecompany.com
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Riverside Studios £17.50—£22.50 8pm Post Show Talk: 28 June
worldshakespearefestival. org.uk
July
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#RJBaghdad
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Photo: Deborah Shaw
SHAKESPEARE’S DOOMED LOVERS RELOCATED TO MODERN-DAY SECTARIAN BAGHDAD Taking Shakespeare’s timeless tale of tragic young love, Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad relocates the doomed lovers amidst the sectarian strife of modern-day Baghdad, in a production suffused with ancient ritual and music, counterpointing the bleak cycle of violence and revenge with a nation’s longing for beauty and love.
Specially commissioned for the World Shakespeare Festival, this performance of Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad marks the debut appearance at LIFT of the Iraqi Theatre Company, which was founded in 2008 by Monadhil Daood to revive the dynamic theatre tradition of a country which was, until recent times, a theatrical powerhouse in the region.
Ganesh Versus the Third Reich Back to Back Theatre 28 June—1 July HINDU DEITY, GANESH, JOURNEYS TO GERMANY TO RECLAIM THE SWASTIKA AS A SACRED SYMBOL Never afraid of confronting difficult issues, Australia’s Back to Back Theatre follow their acclaimed LIFT 2010 production, Food Court, with an equally complex and uncompromising work. Ganesh Versus the Third Reich is poignant, beautiful, disarming, full of vulnerability and sly transparency. The story begins with the elephant-headed God Ganesh travelling through Nazi Germany to reclaim the Swastika, the sacred Hindu symbol of auspiciousness. As this intrepid hero embarks on his journey, the actors themselves begin to feel the weighty responsibility of storytellers and question
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the ethics of cultural appropriation, told through the tale of a young man inspired to create a play about Ganesh, God of overcoming obstacles. It is Back to Back Theatre’s ensemble of actors with intellectual disabilities who give the play its strength, for as the allegedly ‘useless’ people Hitler strove to exterminate, the cast challenge the audience to examine not only who has the ‘right’ to create art from history’s darkest chapters, but also who has the right to tell a story and be heard. “Courageous, confronting, intelligent and magisterially considered theatre.” ★★★★★The Age
June
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Stratford Circus £9—£12 See website for details 8pm Post Show Talk: 29 June
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Presented in association with the Barbican
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Made possible through the generous support of the Keir Foundation
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UK Premiere
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backtobacktheatre.com
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#B2BGanesh
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com stratford-circus.com barbican.org.uk 0844 357 2625
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Photo: Jeff Busby
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Before Your Very Eyes Gob Squad/CAMPO 28—30 June
June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com unicorntheatre.com 020 7645 0560
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#BYVE
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“ GOB SQUAD SKIP FEARLESSLY ALONG THE THIN LINE BETWEEN Produced by CAMPO & FICTION AND REALITY... Gob Squad and presented A MOVING MEDITATION in association with the ON THE NATURE Unicorn Theatre OF SELF AND THE UK Premiere UNKNOWABILITY gobsquad.com OF THE PAST” campo.nu Unicorn £10—£15 (Ages 14+) 7:45pm
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Photo: Phile Deprez
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian As a 5 year old I have just started to learn what time passing is, I can even remember my age all by myself. As a 39 year old I am half-way through my life. So unless my batteries run out, I get eaten by a lion or crushed by a machine, I roughly have a good idea how much time I have left. CAMPO and Gob Squad’s Before Your Very Eyes is the last part of the CAMPO trilogy of theatre with children, made for an adult audience. Performed by a cast of nine young actors aged 8 to 14 locked inside a room of one-way mirrors, the show turns
ideas about age and innocence upside down as the children peer into the future at their adult selves and back at their recent past, before leaving their childhoods behind forever. In reflecting on the uncomfortable truths about society’s obsession with youth and the ageing process, this production provides a rare and magnificent opportunity to witness lives lived in fast forward… Before Your Very Eyes!
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100% London
June
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A Statistical Chain Reaction
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Rimini Protokoll
BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com hackneyempire.co.uk 020 8985 2424
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(Haug/Kaegi/Wetzel)
29 June—1 July
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Hackney Empire £10 29 & 30 June 7:30pm 1 July 5pm Signed performance 29 June Post Show Talk: 30 June
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100% London is a city-specific advancement of the project 100% Berlin (Hebbel am Ufer/HAU, Berlin 2008)
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Presented with the Hackney Empire
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rimini-protokoll.de
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#100percentLDN
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Photo: Sandra Then
A PRODUCTION THAT WILL HUMANISE THE STATISTICS OF THE CITY In a world bombarded with ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’ 100% London tells the truth of modern London life in a way graphs or pie-charts never can. 100% London has evolved from the German theatre group’s ‘reality trend’ practice of working with non-professionals. Spreading throughout London over three months, 100% London began with the casting of one member who had to recruit another in 24 hours, who then recruited another and so on – all according to specific criteria of age, gender and ethnicity mirroring the demographic make-up of one of the world’s most diverse cities. 100 people representing a cross section of London’s 7.8 million population are
brought together to tell their stories on stage. In this fascinating and unique performance, Rimini Protokoll have created a living, breathing portrait of London that is far from average. “Rimini Protokoll never disappoint…” British Theatre Guide
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Macbeth: Leïla and Ben —A Bloody History Artistes Producteurs Associés 4—7 July
June
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com riversidestudios.co.uk 020 8237 1111
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July
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Riverside Studios £17.50—£22.50 8pm Post Show Talk: 5 July An Artistes, Producteurs, Associés Production in association with Le TARMAC and Châteauvallon. Commissioned for the World Shakespeare Festival which is produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company for London 2012 Festival Supported by the Tunisian Ministry for Culture
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World Premiere
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worldshakespearefestival. org.uk
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#MacbethAPA
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Photo: Nada Dagdoug
Tunisia has changed irreversibly since French-Tunisian theatre group Artistes Producteurs Associés presented Hobb Story: Instructions for Arab Love at LIFT 2010. Yet whilst the rest of Tunisia looks forward to a hopefully brighter future following the Arab Spring, Artistes Producteurs Associés look to the Scottish play for a new perspective on the seismic events that played out on the streets of Tunis and across the Arab world. Macbeth: Leïla and
Ben – A Bloody History makes Shakespeare’s text startlingly and shockingly relevant to today, blending the company’s trademark multimedia techniques with TV reportage to portray deposed Tunisian dictator President Zine El Abadine Ben Ali and his wife Leïla as the North African equivalents of Shakespeare’s infamous King and Queen. Their determination to keep their grip on power shows that Macbeth’s story of brutality, backstabbing and blind ambition remains chillingly current.
Rio Artists Occupation London 8 July
June
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A RIO-STYLE PARTY HOSTING GROUND BREAKING CARIOCA ARTISTS IN AN ALL OUT OCCUPATION OF BATTERSEA ARTS CENTRE
Battersea Arts Centre FREE Booking essential 3pm til late For schedule see website
This summer the spirit of Rio de Janeiro will be landing on the streets of London as the Rio Artists Occupation rolls into town. Marking the link between London 2012 and Rio 2016, 30 of the city’s most exciting artists will be turning up the Brazilian heat in London in the run up to the Olympics with an eye-watering series of performances, parties,
#RioArtOccupy
pop-up films and music events presented across the city. This month-long occupation kicks off with a big Brazilian party thrown at Battersea Arts Centre featuring film, theatre and music. So grab yourself a caipirinha, explore the building and enjoy the best Rio has to offer all wrapped up in one long party.
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Produced by People’s Palace Projects/ Battersea Arts Centre in association with LIFT
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July
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BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com bac.org.uk 020 7223 2223
10 11 12 13 14 15
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Photo: Mesofera Design
Where The Heart Is Magic Me 30 June—1 July
LIFT Talks and Events
FREE Booking essential World Premiere #wheretheheartis
BOOK NOW: liftfestival.com magicme.co.uk
In Where The Heart Is, the voices of East End women share tales of passion, friendship and belonging, guiding you through Aldgate and Brick Lane. Download a map and podcast from magicme.co.uk to be taken on a walk of love. Maps can be collected from 11am at The Women’s Library, London, E1 7NT. After your journey, join us for tea at The Women’s Library to share your own experiences. The podcast will be available from 30th June at magicme.co.uk
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020 3222 6064
Arab Spring and artistic freedom of expression During the Festival LIFT will co-host, in partnership with the Free Word Centre, Index on Censorship and the Southbank Centre, a series of cultural debates, conversations and performances reflecting on the recent Arab Spring. Changing the face of freedom Friday 22 June 10:30am—1pm Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3GA £5 As the impact of the Arab Spring continues to reverberate around the world, we bring together LIFT international artists with artists based in the UK, from the Middle East, Burma and Belarus, to reflect on what happens
Photo: Anita McKenzie, Magic Me
to the creative vocabulary when the political landscape changes. In a half-day conference of panel discussion and breakout sessions, we will explore how exile, oppression, revolution and democracy variously constrain or stimulate artistic freedom of expression. Book your place at changingthefaceof freedom.eventbrite.com (limited spaces available) Arab Spring Day at London Literature Festival Sunday 8 July Southbank Centre Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX As part of Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival this day-long event curated by writers and activists from the Middle East will provide a
platform for a fusion of performances, readings and conversations, shedding light on the recent uprisings across the Arab world. The Great Gatsby at London Literature Festival Thursday 5 July Southbank Centre As above To coincide with LIFT’s presentation of Gatz, the London Literature Festival will host an evening of events exploring F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless masterpiece on corruption and the carelessness of wealth. Please see liftfestival.com for full details of all these events Come and find us in the ICA bar every Friday and Saturday evening throughout the festival
ONE EXTRAORDINARY DAY. STREB: EXTREME ACTION: Sometime in July... World Premiere streb.org molpresents.com #Streb #molpresents
THE MAYOR OF LONDON AND LONDON 2012 FESTIVAL PRESENT STREB: EXTREME ACTION: ONE EXTRAORDINARY DAY Something magical is coming. Something you will never forget. A performance of power, daring and beauty that will totally disarm those lucky enough to see it, leaving them gasping in disbelief. The event is a one-off creation by Brooklyn’s visionary choreographer Elizabeth Streb, pioneer of ‘extreme action’ dance. One Extraordinary Day is a series of electrifying, surprise events designed to thrill London right on its doorstep. Known as the Evel Knievel of dance, Streb and her company push the human body to the boundaries of the possible, creating daredevil feats of extreme athleticism, somewhere between
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Photo: Antoine Douaihy, Tom Caravaglia Studios Graphic Design: Millie Li, STREB
dance and free-running, gymnastics and circus. So, for a single, extraordinary day this July, commissioned especially by the Mayor of London and London 2012 Festival, Streb’s dancers will be here, performing gloriously, just for us. You have been warned. ‘If dancers are the athletes of God, Streb’s team are his gladiators.’ The New York Times Part of ‘Surprises’: pop up performances for a summer like no other.
Theatre without borders —Why support LIFT?
For thirty years the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) has presented the stories of the world to every corner and community of our city, pioneering new forms of theatre and setting the benchmark for internationalism in the arts. LIFT is at the heart of global innovation, working with artists who push the boundaries of theatre. LIFT 2012 sees the festival break new ground and move in exciting directions, whilst maintaining our mission to give voice to some of the world’s brightest and boldest theatre-makers. From the city’s streets and abandoned spaces to its renowned cultural venues, we are working with exceptional international artists to bring the stories of the world to London. LIFT is proud to be one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations. However, our always ambitious and unique artistic programme is funded entirely through the generosity of individuals, trusts and companies. Every gift and partnership makes a huge difference in realising our vision, enabling us to curate and commission bold and inspiring artists to tell the stories of the world, tackle convention and bring sparkle to the capital. If you are interested in supporting us, or becoming a member of our Director’s Circle please contact Jonathan on 020 7968 6800 or on jonathan@liftfestival.com “My contact with so many LIFT performances through the years has helped teach me how to live and dream, how to embrace the new and the unfamiliar. In short, it has opened me up.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Thank you to all our supporters and partners who enable LIFT to deliver a diverse and dynamic festival Supporters:
Contemporary Myths – a project by Visiting Arts, Coutts Charitable Trust, Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation, Julia Rowntree, The Funding Network, The Tunisian Ministry for Culture, The Leche Trust, Goethe Institute, The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and the host of generous individuals who have supported us. Directors Circle Kate & Paul Brundage, Judi Caron, Lily & Julian Harriss, Lydia Lee, Gerard Lemos & Paul Crane, Theresa Sackler, Alisa Swidler and Jay Verjee. And all the LIFT Board Bernard Donoghue (Chair), Pat Brown, Jo Burns, Manisha Ferdinand, Craig Hassall, Phillip Keir, George Kessler, Karen Napier, John Newton, David Philip. LIFT works in association with WWF-UK. To see a complete listing of our supporters please visit liftfestival.com
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Photo: Sky Orchestra (LIFT/GLA June 2011) Luke Jerram
LIFT Partners
LIFT are:
Partners:
Artistic Director – Mark Ball Executive Director – Beki Bateson Head of Development – Hannah Clifford Participation Producer – Erica Campayne Associate Producer – Nick Sweeting General Manager – Kate Ward Development & Marketing Coordinator – Jonathan May Assistant Producer – Jon Davis Marketing Consultant – Kevin Isaacs Production Manager – Simon MacColl Streb Production Team – Sally Cowling, Tom Bailey and Lucy Ryan Design & Art Direction – Them® Festival PR – Kean Lanyon Streb PR – Borkowski Arts & Ents Gatz Marketing – Jo Hutchison JHI Development Consultant – Carlos Miranda And all our brilliant placements and volunteers Thank You
LIFT is committed to developing a festival which promotes sustainability and minimises its environmental impact. This guides all of our activities, from ensuring the organisation is resource efficient to sourcing and creating our productions responsibly and working with staff, partner venues and suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of LIFT 46
Photo: Sky Orchestra (LIFT/GLA June 2011) Luke Jerram
Show Information* Area 12, Greenwich Peninsula SE10 0DX (TBC) The Coming Storm Battersea Arts Centre Lavender Hill Battersea, London SW11 5TN Rio Artist Occupation Battersea Arts Centre Lavender Hill Battersea, London SW11 5TN Unfinished Dream Fairfield Halls Park Lane Croydon Surrey CR9 1DG White Rabbit Gate Theatre Red Rabbit 11 Pembridge Road Above the Prince Albert Pub, Notting Hill London, W11 3HQ 100% London Hackney Empire 291 Mare Street London, E8 1EJ There We Will Be Buried Institute of Contemporary Arts The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH Gatz Noel Coward Theatre 85-88 St Martins Lane London, WC2N 4AU The Rest is Silence Riverside Studios Romeo and Juliet Crisp Road in Baghdad Hammersmith Macbeth London, W6 9RL The Dark Side of Love Roundhouse Chalk Farm Road London, NW1 8EH You Once Said Yes Roundhouse Chalk Farm Road London, NW1 8EH 66 Minutes in Damascus Shoreditch Town Hall 380 Old Street EC1V 9LT Ganesh vs the Stratford Circus Third Reich Theatre Square Stratford, London E15 1BX Before Your Unicorn Theatre Very Eyes 147 Tooley Street London SE1 2HZ Where the Heart Is The Women’s Library London Metropolitan University, 25 Old Castle Street, E1 7NT Minsk 2011 Young Vic Theatre 66 The Cut, Waterloo London, SE1 8LZ Motorshow
See website for details of BSL interpreted performances *Access information relates to LIFT shows, not venues. 48
Please see liftfestival.com and festival.org for details 020 7223 2223 bac.org.uk 020 7223 2223 bac.org.uk 020 8688 9291 fairfield.co.uk 020 7229 0706 gatetheatre.co.uk
020 8985 2424 hackneyempire.co.uk 020 7930 3647 ica.org.uk 0844 482 5140 delfontmackintosh.co.uk 020 8237 1111 riversidestudios.co.uk 0844 482 8008 roundhouse.org.uk 0844 482 8008 roundhouse.org.uk 020 7613 7498 shoreditchtownhall.org.uk 0844 357 2625 stratford-circus.com 020 7645 0560 unicorntheatre.com 020 3222 6064 magicme.co.uk 020 7922 2922 youngvic.org
YOUR GUIDE TO ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE IN THE WORLD’S MOST EXCITING PLACES timeout.com
LIFT Third Floor Institute of Contemporary Arts 12 Carlton House Terrace London SW1Y 5AH liftfestival.com twitter.com/LIFTfestival info@liftfestival.com #LIFT2012 +44 (0)20 7968 6800 Large print brochure available on our website
Design & Art Direction by Them速 www.them.co.uk