WIREDGOV

The 2016 London International Festival of Theatre celebrates the world in London and London in the world, as it welcomes work from Argentina, Belgium, Greece, Poland, Canada, Japan, Australia, the USA, Lebanon and Syria.

enthralling and joyful work that takes us into the guts of the city

He says: “Does art help us belong? I have met pioneering artists and performers from around the world who connect to the astonishing range of international communities that make up London, and, asking that very question, have made a Festival that investigates how this amazing mix of people adds up to the London I love.

“The cultural influences and radical imaginations of our festival artists result in enthralling and joyful work that will be seen in spaces and venues that take us into the guts of the city."

New work is the engine of LIFT, and this year sees more commissions than ever before.

Acclaimed Australian company Circa present ‘Depart’, with circus artists taking over Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. A frenetic cacophony of Japanese youth subculture swarms the stage in Tokyo-based Toco Nikaido’s ‘Miss Revolutionary Idol Berserker’. A brand new choir of transgender and LGBT singers will perform a new commission, ‘Adam’s Apple’, exploring and celebrating the voice and gender identity.

Plus, in a series of new works co-commissioned by LIFT, On The Move responds to the world’s greatest migration crisis, and inhabits unexpected spaces at the Royal Court Theatre.

LIFT works in the London borough of Tottenham, North London, to link international artists with work already happening in the community, or developing new work to encourage a genuine, positive impact on the people involved.

UpLIFTers is an artistic collaboration between two Tottenham schools; Northumberland Park Community School and The Vale School, LIFT and Mammalian Diving Reflex (MDR). The five-year artistic partnership introduces young students to the arts – inspiring, supporting and enabling them to create their own participatory arts experiences through workshops.

This year, a new initiative allows an entirely fresh look at the Festival in The Children’s Choice Awards.

A group of children from two schools in Tottenham are appointed the Official Festival Jury, and are chauffeured to and from festival shows to see the art, take notes, review, critique and vote. Even holding their own Award Ceremony.