The Greenwich+Docklands International Festival Announce an Extraordinary line up of Free Summer Theatre

There’s something about this which is reminiscent of the way Ancient Greek drama brought all classes together to share in great stories. Theatre can have enormous power to unite communities in a shared appreciation of an engaging narrative or a memorable experience.

Running from 21 June - 6 July the 2019 the festival boasts of an impressive 130 performances and 15 UK premières, and includes opening and closing ceremonies “in celebration of the spirit of the people and places in which these two major events will take place”.

Artistic Director Bradley Hemmings MBE said, “At a time when, more than ever, we need to come together and remind ourselves of what unites, rather than divides us, I’m very proud that the Festival is presenting opening and closing events which invite audiences to join hands with local participants and international artists in a spirit of openness and conviviality”.

The opening and closing ceremonies sound particularly intriguing and take as their theme, The Cristal Palace. We’re promised work that will “fuse dance, music, acrobatics and locally inspired storytelling, to transform two very different public spaces into glittering outdoor ballrooms”.

Apparently they’re going to create a gigantic chandelier which will be comprised of 1500 light bulbs, weighing 3.5 tons which will be suspended 40m above the ground!

The rest of the sprawling programme is equally packed with the unexpected. Here’s a run down, it’s taken directly from the festival’s press release, so the descriptions of the shows are the festival organisers rather than mine.

It’s a long list but do take the time to have a quick look through. I reckon it contains something that will appeal to just about everyone –

- And It’s FREE!

GDIF OPENING NIGHT

Friday 21 June, 6pm-11pm, Woolwich Town Centre and Royal Arsenal Riverside, Woolwich, SE18

Join us for this year’s opening night, transforming the streets and public spaces of Woolwich with art, food, dance, street theatre and a spectacular ceremony. This is your chance to experience London’s newest and most vibrantly authentic cultural destination at its best.

GDIF Opening Night is supported by the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Royal Greenwich Festivals, Arts Council England, Woolwich Cultural Destinations, Berkeley and Without Walls.

GDIF’s Opening Night includes the following performances:

SCALPED

Initiative.DKF (UK)

Friday 21 June, 6pm, 7.30pm, Beresford Square, SE18 6BB

Style and empowerment come together in this dance theatre show celebrating Black women’s hair, created by Damilola K. Fashola with inspiration from the iconic Grace Jones.

Scalped is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Brighton Festival.

FROCK

Stopgap Dance Company (UK)

Friday 21 June, 6.30pm, 8.30pm, Powis Street, SE18 6LE

Brace yourself for an empowering celebration of self-identity in this punkish explosion of individuality from one of Britain’s leading inclusive dance companies.

Frock is funded by Spirit of 2012, supported by Arts Council England, Without Walls Consortium and The Forum.

SHOP PLASTIQUE

Impact Dance (UK)

Friday 21 June, 6pm, 8pm, Powis Street, SE18 6LE

Seven mannequins come to life in this high street fantasia, presented by Authenticity, Impact Dance’s talented young company.

OH EUROPA

Action Hero (UK)

Friday 21 June, 12pm-4pm, Love Lane, Woolwich, SE18 6QT.

This motor home has travelled 33,000 km across Europe collecting love songs on the way. Now it’s Woolwich’s turn to share its favourite love songs.

Action Hero is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

CONGREGATION

Ray Lee (UK)

Friday 21 June, 7.40pm, 9pm, Powis Street, SE18 6HZ

A chorus of singing spheres creates a humming electronic web of sound in this strange processional science fiction ceremony.

Congregation is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Out There International Festival Of Circus & Street Arts. Congregation has received additional support from the National Theatre Studio, Appetite Stoke, Oxford Brookes University and 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Centre.

i-PUPPETS

Close-Act (Netherlands)

Friday 21 June, 7pm, Powis Street, SE18 6HZ

Friday 21 June, 8.30pm, Beresford Square, SE18 6BB

Three otherworldly, optical creatures view Woolwich from above, in this interactive and surreal walkabout performance.

JOYOUS URBAN MESS

Les Vernisseurs (France)

Friday 21 June, 7pm, 8.50pm, Beresford Square, SE18 6BB

In this spectacular disruption of an everyday high street, Woolwich becomes a playground for five ‘workers’ who end up showering everyone in confetti and streamers.

MULÏER

Cia.Maduixa (Spain)

Friday 21 June, 6pm, 8pm, Royal Artillery Square, SE18 6ST

This dramatic stilt performance celebrates female empowerment, presented adjacent to buildings, which were once the workplace of Woolwich’s female munitions workers.

THAT PARKING SHOW

Tangled Feet (UK)

Friday 21 June, 6.30pm, 8pm, Beresford Square, SE18 6BB

Two cars vie for a parking space in this comic, timely and turbo-charged exploration of how conflict escalates.

Tangled Feet is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

OPENING CEREMONY

CRISTAL PALACE

Transe Express (France)

UK Première

Friday 21 June, 9.30pm, General Gordon Square, SE18 6FH

This year’s Festival features opening and closing ceremonies* celebrating the spirit of the communities in which they take place.

Fusing dance, music, acrobatics and spectacle, General Gordon Square will be transformed into a glittering outdoor ballroom, with the help of a giant overhead chandelier, in this high-flying, immersive production from internationally acclaimed Transe Express.

As part of the performance, London-based choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charles has created a special segment celebrating the spirit of Woolwich and showcasing six local Woolwich-based dance companies with new and sampled music from DJ Walde.

With thanks to: B40 Youth Dance Company, Lotus Youth Dance, Dynamix Youth Dance, Caribbean Social Forum, Skills & Care Greenwich and Voice of Mauritius

Cristal Palace is presented as part of Global Streets.

*GDIF’s Closing Ceremony will take place at RAD London on Saturday 6 July at 9.30pm.

DAEDALUM

Alan Parkinson (Architects of Air) (UK)

Friday 21 June, 1pm – 9pm

Saturday 22 June, 11am – 9pm

Sunday 23 June, 11am – 6pm

RAD London, Royal Albert Dock, E6 5NE

Lose yourself in this immersive architectural installation created by Alan Parkinson, whose “cathedrals of air” have attracted more than 3 million visitors across the world. The unique structure will be on the Dockside festival site, complete with deckchairs, playful fountains, street food and a bar.

DAEDALUM is supported by the Royal Docks, London’s only Enterprise Zone and a joint partnership between the Mayor of London and Mayor of Newham, and RAD London.

Part of the London Festival of Architecture.

MOBY DICK

Teatro Dei Venti (Italy)

UK Première

Saturday 22 June, 8pm, Guildhall Yard, City of London, EC2V 5AA

This Italian street theatre production brings Captain Ahab's ship and his obsessive search for revenge to a new GDIF destination in the City of London. With ingenious staging, physical theatre and circus, this timely reinvention of Melville’s classic novel explores themes of migration and the fear of the unknown.

Moby Dick is supported by the City of London Corporation, the governing body of the Square Mile, and presented in association with the City of London Corporation’s Fantastic Feats outdoor arts programme.

GREENWICH FAIR

Various artists

Friday 21, Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June, Greenwich Town Centre, SE10

GDIF’s family-friendly weekend returns and is packed with incredible street theatre, dance, games, circus and art from across the UK and Europe. Visitors can be part of a giant 17th-century painting as it comes to life, ride on a ‘laugh out loud’, low-tech rollercoaster or dive into a fantastical, family friendly drag show. Alternatively sit back and delight in the very best of international street theatre, including a daring performance weaving through a forest of poles and an uproarious French street show involving a mountain of buckets.

Greenwich Fair is supported by the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Royal Greenwich Festivals, Arts Council England and Without Walls.

Greenwich Fair includes the following performances:

PASTURE WITH COWS

Captain Boomer Collective (Belgium)

World Première

Friday 21 June, 12pm – 8pm, Saturday 22 June, 12pm – 8pm, Sunday 23 June, 11am – 5pm

Lower Grand Square, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

Blurring the boundaries between art and reality, a giant painting comes to life as you take your seat on an oversized picture frame, whilst a bucolic scene unfolds with cows grazing against the backdrop of Wren’s riverside masterpiece. Previously seen at GDIF with their beached Sperm Whale and “Skagt” which took audiences to the centre of the earth, this Flemish collective of artists specialise in confounding expectations and encouraging us to look at the world anew.

Pasture with Cows is commissioned by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, Paris L'Été Festival and Zomer Van Antwerpen Festival.

OH EUROPA

Action Hero (UK)

Sunday 23 June, 11am – 7pm, Greenwich Park, Greenwich, SE10 8QY

In 2018, two artists travelled over 30,000km across Europe in a motorhome, asking the people they met to sing them a love song. These voices, singing with sentiments of love, hope, heartbreak, loss and desire are now broadcasting 24/7 from beacons activated by GPS technology on boundaries, meeting places, borders, margins and the edgelands of the continent.

Having gathered additional songs at GDIF’s Opening Night, Action Hero arrive in Greenwich on their Europe-wide journey to share their moving, epic playlist in an eight-hour live radio broadcast.

Action Hero is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

STACK CATS

Gandini Juggling (UK)

UK Première

Saturday 22 June, 1.30pm, 4.15pm, Sunday 23 June, 12.30pm, 3pm, Monument Gardens, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

This mash up of clowning, slapstick and dance laced with classical painting references, features world class juggling virtuosity. Last seen at GDIF with their surreal duet Gibbon, this première tackles contemporary issues in Gandini’s characteristically unconventional and ground-breaking style.

STICK-STOK

TeaTime Company (Netherlands)

UK Première

Saturday 22 June, 4.25pm, 6.25pm, Sunday 23 June, 2.50pm, 4.30pm, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, SE10 9HT

No matter how much we may want to halt the passage of time or pause for a moment, we simply can't. Echoing the endless ticking of a clock, Stick-Stok uses a blend of dance, circus and Chinese pole artistry to observe a restless world and our constant battle to jump further, move faster and try to catch up with time itself.

LIFTED

Mimbre (UK)

Saturday 22 June, 1.50pm, 5.30pm, Sunday 23 June, 12.45pm, 3.40pm, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, SE10 9HT

Exploring what happens when one body is carried by another, three women move and lift each other in search of a perfect balance. Mixing dance, theatre and circus, Lifted dissects and celebrates the art of collaboration, teaming up with three outstanding guest choreographers, Yi-Chun Liu, Arthur Barnard Bazin and Gary Clarke.

Lifted is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Stockton International Riverside Festival. Mimbre is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

POLDERCOASTER

Babok (Netherlands)

UK Première

Saturday 22 June, 1.45pm, 3.25pm, 6.45pm, 8.35pm, Sunday 23 June, 2.45pm, 5.30pm, 6.40pm, King Charles Lawns, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

Strap in and get ready to ride the PolderCoaster! The first - and only - low-tech rollercoaster in the world is unlike anything in your average theme park. Featuring unexpected turns, tunnels, entertainment in the highest gear, expect an interactive test ride that involves the whole crowd.

WILD

Motionhouse (UK)

Saturday 22 June, 1pm, 7.40pm, Sunday 23 June, 12pm, 5.40pm, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, SE10 9HT

A tangle of tall poles creates an urban jungle in this daring new dance-circus production from Motionhouse. Using powerful physicality, dynamic choreography and acrobatic movement, WILD explores the human disconnect with the natural environment and how, in a world that is becoming increasingly urbanised, the wild is gradually become more and more distant.

WILD is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Freedom Festival Arts Trust, Hat Fair, Out There International Festival of Circus and Street Arts, Gulbenkian & ART31 and Birmingham Hippodrome. WILD has received additional support from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Foyle Foundation, The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust and The City of London Corporation. Motionhouse is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

BUCK A BRENDA

Wild ‘n’ Beets (UK)

Saturday 22 June, 3.15pm, 8.15pm, Sunday 23 June, 2.05pm, 6.10pm, Monument Gardens, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

Experience a vintage game with a disability politics twist in this uproarious reinvention of Buckaroo. With a wardrobe of double denim outfits and hosted on cowboy-themed mobility scooters by Beryl and Cyril (Bingo Lingo, GDIF 2017), Buck A Brenda is set to become the summer’s hottest new game.

Buck A Brenda is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and Hat Fair.

FANTABULOSA!

Tickertape Parade (UK)

Saturday 22 June, 2.15pm, 4.40pm, Sunday 23 June, 12pm, 3.20pm, King Charles Lawns, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

Step into a magical pop-up world of imagination where boundaries are forgotten and anyone can be whoever they want to be. Join some of the UK’s leading drag artists for this family-friendly show featuring storytelling, lipsync, dressing-up, games, songs and a lot of glitter! Age Range: 3-8 (but fabulous for adults too!).

Fantabulosa! is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, Hat Fair and Salisbury International Arts Festival. Fantabulosa! has received additional support from Birmingham Hippodrome, Appetite Stoke, Déda, Derby Féste, So Festival and Arts Council England.

A GRACEFUL ACT OF STUPIDITY

Candoco Dance Company (UK)

Saturday 22 June, 1pm, 6.15pm, 7.45pm, Sunday 23 June, 12pm, 4.40pm, Monument Gardens, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

Promising both laughter and tears, this beautiful new duet for Candoco from New Art Club’s Tom Roden draws on his experience as theatre-maker, comedian, choreographer and dancer. Playing with archetypes, this funny and impassioned performance will confound expectations and encourage you to question the way you see the world.

Candoco Dance Company is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

i-PUPPETS

Close-Act (Netherlands)

Saturday 22 June and Sunday 23 June, roaming show, performed around the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF and Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, SE10 9HT

A trio of unusual optical creatures have landed and as they look down from above, they are curious to find out more about Greenwich. An intriguing interactive walkabout show which encourages you to reflect on seeing the world from a different perspective.

SIRIN (HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS)

Newton’s Ladder (UK)

Saturday 22 June, 3pm, 8.35pm, Sunday 23 June, 12pm, 6.35pm, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, SE10 9HT

This poetic fable, choreographed by Ballet Lorent’s Liv Lorent, evokes a story of love and sacrifice, risk and hope, as a wandering man falls in love with a mythical, bird-like woman. Drawn from ancient legends, this mesmerising aerial performance is inspired by the eternal human ambition to capture, possess and tame the extraordinary.

Sirin is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Stockton International Riverside Festival, Just So Festival, Salisbury International Arts Festival. Sirin has received additional support from Arts Council England, Stockton International Riverside Festival and Dance City.

FRIENDS OF CRUSOE

Toc de Fusta (Catalonia)

Saturday 22 June, 1pm – 9pm, Sunday 23 June, 12pm – 7pm, Pepys Lawn, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

Test your mind and skill with these intriguing, mechanical puzzles, all beautifully handcrafted from wood. Suitable for children and adults alike, this Catalan company invites you to explore, enjoy and take time to play.

L’ATELIER

Toc de Fusta (Catalonia)

Saturday 22 June, 1pm – 9pm, Sunday 23 June, 12pm – 7pm, Pepys Lawn, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

These inventively designed games are housed in a very special workshop, featuring some of the most unlikely tools and machines you’ll ever see. Celebrating the joy of carpentry, now it’s time for you to take your turn and try your hand. For the curious of any age, although recommended for 7+ to fully enjoy the experience.

SAUT

Collectif Bigbinôme (France)

UK Première

Saturday 22 June, 1pm, 5.55pm, Sunday 23 June, 2pm 4.35pm, King Charles Lawns, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

From cowboy to diva, from builder to bulldozer, from superhero to convict, everything is an excuse to play for these four young acrobats. In this virtuosic tour de force, they work together to deliver mayhem, hilarity and gasp-inducing stunts with the assistance of 50 rubber buckets.

ROLL PLAY

Simple Cypher (UK)

World Première

Saturday 22 June, 3.35pm, 6.55pm, Sunday 23 June, 2.10pm, 4.55pm, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, SE10 9HT

Prepare to be amazed by explosive tricks and artful dexterity as three performers blur the boundaries between hip hop and circus, using intricate moves to deliver a captivating, cheeky and effortlessly cool performance.

LIFE IS SHORT. BUY THAT DRESS.

Directie & Co (Netherlands)

UK Première

Saturday 22 June, 3.55pm, 7.45pm, Sunday 23 June, 1.15pm, 6pm, King Charles Lawns, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

This thought provoking exploration of the 21st-century garment industry combines experimental dance theatre with an abundance of costume changes, all performed in a recycling dump of used clothing. Drowning in fabric, this insightful performance dissects fashion, globalism and consumerism.

CATCH ME

Upswing (UK)

Saturday 22 June, 2.35pm, 4.55pm, Sunday 23 June, 12.25pm, 3.20pm, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, SE10 9HT

This poetic duet combines acrobatics, dance and object manipulation. Featuring intergenerational performers from circus and contemporary dance backgrounds, Catch Me explores ideas around ageing, relationships between generations, who cares for whom, who is of value and who is capable of what?

Catch Me is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Catch Me has received additional support from the Festival of Creative Ageing. Upswing is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

PROSPERO

Stalker Teatro (Italy)

UK Première

Saturday 22 June, 2.15pm, 4.55pm, Sunday 23 June, 1.10pm, 3.40pm, Monument Gardens, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9HF

This evolving performance installation puts collaboration and community centre-stage. Following the success of their captivating “Steli” in 2017, which featured rainbow coloured “pick up” sticks, Teatro Stalker return with a new and magical playground. Dive in and this new artwork becomes an expression of what connects us, as you play your part in assembling this captivating large scale sculpture accompanied by live music.

PASSENGER

Jessica Wilson (Australia)

UK Première

Wednesday 26 June – Saturday 29 June, 2pm, 7.30pm, 9pm, pick up from Beckton Park (Stop X), Royal Docks, London, E6 5NE

A conversation between two passengers on a bus is the starting point for this intimate yet epic story set against the background of a journey through London's Royal Docks. First seen in Melbourne, where it was described by Arts Hub as “a brilliantly crafted story that thrusts you into a live-action cinematic experience”, Passenger blurs the line between reality and fiction in an immersive and all-encompassing experience.

Directed and conceived by Jessica Wilson and Ian Pidd

Devised by Jessica Wilson, Ian Pidd and Nicola Gunn

Script by Nicola Gunn

Local dramaturgy by Tassos Stephens

Original composition by Tom Fitzgerald

Performed by Jim Russell and Victoria Moseley

Passenger is supported by the Royal Docks, London’s only Enterprise Zone and a joint partnership between the Mayor of London and Mayor of Newham.

Passenger is produced with the financial support of the Australia Council for the Arts, the City of Melbourne and The Arts Centre Melbourne. Passenger’s 2017 première season was presented by Footscray Arts Centre and Arts Centre Melbourne.

Part of the London Festival of Architecture.

DANCING CITY

Various artists

Saturday 29 June, 1pm - 5pm, Canary Wharf, Tower Hamlets, E14

London’s annual outdoor dance event this year showcases thought-provoking performances across the piazzas, waterfronts and public spaces of Canary Wharf. Experience a sophisticated fusion of dance and oscillating objects, a powerful parkour production revealing experiences of modern day slavery and a series of performances which imagine the last nine minutes of life.

Dancing City is supported by Canary Wharf Arts + Events, Arts Council England and Without Walls.

OSCYL Variation

VIADANSE (France)

UK Première

Saturday 29 June, 1pm, 4.15pm, Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf, E14 5NY

This UK première from French choreographers Eric Lamoureaux and Hela Fattoumi creates a landscape populated by humans and inanimate objects. As the objects, the “oscyls”, wait, it is only the dancers who can bring them to life, in a performance which evolves into a seamlessly integrated world of possibility.

OSCYL Variation is co-produced by Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes de Charleville-Mezieres, Theatre National de la danse Chaillot in Paris, Espace des Arts, Scène nationale de Chalon-sur-Saône, Le Granit, Scene nationale de Belfort, MA, Scène nationale, Pays de Montbeliard, Les 2 Scènes and Scene nationale de Besancon.

ON EDGE

Justice in Motion (UK)

Saturday 29 June, 3pm, Columbus Courtyard, Canary Wharf, E14 4DA

Told with breath-taking energy and fast-paced choreography on a vertiginous, specially designed ‘construction site’, this parkour and dance theatre production investigates modern day slavery. Expect astonishing, adrenaline-fuelled, gravity-defying moves from an international cast, in this powerful exploration of what it is to be free.

ON EDGE is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Brighton Festival and Out There International Festival of Circus and Street Arts.

Part of the London Festival of Architecture and Fly the Flag.

PULSE!

Joss Arnott Dance (UK)

Saturday 29 June, 1.30pm, 3.30pm, Canary Riverside, Upper Terrace

Fusing movement and music in a production created around a uniquely engineered, 3.5m high percussion wheel, this visceral production integrates rhythmic intensity and “heart in the mouth” choreography.

PULSE! is supported by Without Walls and commissioning by Stockton International Riverside Festival, Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (with funding from the Leche Trust), Salisbury International Arts Festival, Pavilion Dance South West, DanceEast and Déda. PULSE! has received additioanl support from Salfoird University.

LEVIATHAN

James Wilton Dance (UK)

Saturday 29 June, 1pm, 4.30pm, Canary Riverside, Canary Wharf, London, E14 8RS

This exhilarating performance conjures up the vision and charisma of Ahab, a ship’s captain, hell-bent on revenge against Moby Dick, a creature as vast and dangerous as the sea itself. Combining athletic dance, martial arts, capoeira and partner-work, this contemporary retelling of Herman Melville’s classic novel (the second production inspired by this famous story at this year’s Festival) is presented against the dramatic backdrop of the Thames.

9 MINUTES

Edge Dance Company and National Centre for Circus Arts (UK)

Saturday 29 June, 2pm, 3.30pm, Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf, E14 5NY

Jorge Crecis’ work is renowned for merging athleticism with the compelling visuals of an art installation. In these three pieces, he movingly explores what it is to be alive, encompassing the extremes of joy and despair. Fusing contemporary dance, spoken word, circus and music, each short performance imagines the last 9 minutes of life, in ways which are, in turn, celebratory, thought provoking and nostalgic.

OSCiLLATE

Old Kent Road (UK)

Saturday 29 June, 1pm, 4.30pm, Jubilee Place Shopping Centre, Canary Wharf, E14 5NY

Disentangling human relationships and misunderstandings, this innovative contemporary tap performance integrates movement and sound on a journey of connections and near misses. Whilst playing homage to the roots of tap, Oscillate provides a very 21st century perspective on moments of urban isolation and togetherness.

A NIGHT’S GAME

Alleyne Dance (UK)

Saturday 29 June, 2pm, 3.45pm, Jubilee Place Shopping Centre, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NY

Twin sisters, Kristina and Sade Alleyne, are breaking new ground in creating a layered, diverse and sophisticated approach to contemporary dance. This dynamic, lyrical piece fuses Afro-Caribbean, Hip Hop, Indian classical and Latin dance with their hallmark athleticism, delivering a fresh and inclusive breath of fresh choreographic air.

THE TIDE

Talawa and Jade Hackett Dance (UK)

Saturday 29 June, 2.15pm, 4.30pm, Cubitt Steps, Canary Wharf E14 4QA

Set against a waterfront location and co-created by writer Ryan Calais Cameron and choreographer Jade Hackett, The Tide unpicks the stories and imagery of one of the defining issues of our times: migration.

The Tide is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Brighton Festival and Greenwich+Docklands International Festival. Talawa is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

Part of the London Festival of Architecture and Fly the Flag.

MO AND THE RED RIBBON

Compagnie L’Homme Debout (France)

UK Première

Saturday 29 June 2019, 9.30pm, Roman Road, Tower Hamlets, E3 5QN

Meet MO, a giant child puppet, who wakes up in Bow to find he has been separated from his family. With a red ribbon as a guide, help MO on his journey in this promenade production which explores the experience of migration from a child’s perspective, offering an ultimately optimistic look at the world we inhabit and those we share it with.

MO and the Red Ribbon is supported by Tower Hamlets Council and Action for Bow. Mo and the Red Ribbon has received additional support from Compagnie Oposito, Le Moulin Fondu CNAREP, La Ville de Poitiers, La Région Nouvelle Aquitaine, L'OARA, DRAC Nouvelle Aquitaine and Commune de Lagord.

MO and the Red Ribbon is co-produced by Sur le Pont CNAREP (New Aquitaine), Le Fourneau CNAREP (Bretagne), le Centre International De Création Artistique Le Parapluie (Aurillac), HAMEKA Fabrique des Arts de la Rue and Atelier 231 (Sotteville lès Rouen).

Part of the London Festival of Architecture and Fly the Flag.

LES VOYAGES

Compagnie XY (France)

UK Première

Sunday 30 June, 2pm, The Moorings, Thamesmead, SE28 8BH

Compagnie XY thoughtfully reinvents the idea of the circus coming to town. Over several days the people of The Moorings have welcomed the acclaimed French Circus company to Thamesmead, sharing their stories and inviting this extraordinary group of acrobats into their community. For one very special afternoon GDIF audiences are invited to share in this uplifting process, which combines elements of flashmob and street party, offering a chance to get up close, as the magic of circus meets the hopes and dreams of a community.

Les Voyages is supported by Peabody, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Royal Greenwich Festivals.

Part of the London Festival of Architecture.

MY HOUSE

Apocalyptic Circus (UK/Sweden)

Saturday 29 June, General Gordon Square, Woolwich (Part of the Greenwich Great Get Together)

Thursday 4 July and Friday 5 July, 11am, 1pm, 3.30pm, Passey Place, Eltham, SE9 5DA

Come close and take a peek through the doors and windows of this pop up circus theatre house, designed with children and families very much in mind. Combining playful circus including slack rope, hand balance and partner acrobatics, the performance is followed by an opportunity for budding circus stars to open the front door and get stuck in to some DIY tricks in this unusual town centre playspace.

My House is presented as part of the Royal Greenwich Great Get Together in Woolwich.

My House is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Just So Festival. My House has received additional support from Circomedia, 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space, The Pound Art Centre, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Royal Greenwich Festivals and Arts Council England.

CLOSING CEREMONY

CRISTAL PALACE

Transe Express (France)

Saturday 6 July, 9.30pm, RAD London, Royal Albert Dock, E6 5NE

As a dynamic new business district takes shape at RAD London, our closing ceremony captures the outward looking spirit of East London. The Royal Docks are once again on the move and Transe Express celebrates this renewal by transforming RAD London into a glittering outdoor ballroom by means of an awe inspiring, high flying chandelier. Join hands with international and local dancers in an evening of celebration followed by spectacular fireworks, bringing this year’s Festival to a euphoric conclusion.

Cristal Palace is supported by the Royal Docks, London’s only Enterprise Zone and a joint partnership between the Mayor of London and Mayor of Newham, and RAD London.