North East Connected

Digital lockdown celebration of global contemporary theatre and performance not to be missed.

A digital, lockdown celebration of global contemporary theatre and performance not to be missed.

The digitally reimagined edition of this year’s Gateshead International Festival of Theatre, (GIFT) kicks off from Friday 1- Sunday 3 May, with a packed programme of theatre, performance and interactive events from top global artists.

Audiences can tune in, from their own homes, to three days of UK and world premiere shows and performances, creative workshop collaborations, fun family activities and stimulating talks and debates on pressing modern day issues.

With new works created especially for GIFT’s lockdown festival edition, the international artist line-up includes Jonathan Burrows, Matteo Fargion, Wendy Houstoun,Tania El Khoury, Sophie Woolley, Greg Wohead, Jamal Gerald, Atresbandes, with Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutsas, Action Hero and Oliver Zahn. The artist-led festival aims to connect self-isolating audiences and artists, celebrate contemporary art and performance, and provide a welcoming creative space for anyone keen to join in with the weekend’s activities.

Replicating a physical festival-feel, shows are streamed live; audiences can share ideas and views in open events and meet and relax in virtual social gatherings, including a post-show cocktail party. Artists will be creating pieces, solving performance practice problems and building networks, as usual, in intimate digital workshops. All events take place on giftfestival.co.uk and audiences can save a seat by booking digital tickets, with a Pay What You Decide, Just Giving donation to support the festival.

GIFT Festival Director, Kate Craddock, said: “Artists have been working incredibly hard behind the scenes, in these unprecedented circumstances, to create and present one-off shows and events that will capture imaginations, fire-up creativity and give global audiences a brief moment in time to share emotions and conversations and not feel our social distance so acutely.

“There’s a bit of something for everyone in the programme, from late night dazzlers of shows and post-show chats, to early morning thinking sessions, downloadable pieces that can be enjoyed in bite-sized moments of peace and exercise, and energetic family activities to keep kids busy long enough for parents to grab a well deserved cuppa.We hope you can join us from home this year, to make important creative memories that will last well beyond this pandemic.”

Newly announced highlights of GIFT’s digital, lockdown edition include:

Night-time shows worth staying up for include Friday’s headliner, the UK online premiere of a collaboration between Catalan company ATRESBANDES and duo Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutsas, IT DON’T WORRY ME, a funny, spiralling interrogation of the tension between art and political correctness (Friday 1 May, 8pm). This is followed by Saturday night show Elision, where Icelandic artist Gudrun Soley Sigurdardottir recreates a tropical scene for the senses, with full audience participation, in an exploration of national identity and how to stay warm, journeying across autobiography, pop culture and ice in its many forms (Saturday 2 May, 7pm). 

In innovative durational pieces, presented over an endurance-testing series of hours, Greg Wohead and three other UK-based artists, will improvise a performance from sunrise to sunset in their respective homes, entitled Crack of Dawn (Saturday 2 May, from 5.30am to 8.26pm) and artists Gemma Paintin and James Stenhouse of Action Hero will present a deep listening music experience RadiOh Europa. This is a 24 hour, live pan-European broadcast of strangers voices singing about love, desire, heartbreak, hope and longing (Saturday 2 May, 9pm until Sunday 3 May, 9pm).

GIFT’s digital edition also includes a Little GIFT House Party, which invites families and children to enjoy hours of fun games and challenges, at their own pace, from home. Run by family-focused company Chalk, activities include crafting workshops, a catwalk show, and a PAN-DEMIC band, all using only handy household items.

For full GIFT 2020 event listings, please visit here and join in all the GIFT conversation @GIFTfest.

Festival launch press release, here.

Exit mobile version