Lift Festival 2008

Lift continues to be a cultural sector leader with the launch of Lift Festival 2008, this summer at Stratford and Southbank Centre. Lift Festival 2008 is an extraordinary programme of international premieres, talks, screenings and participatory events that engage with climate change, migration, communities, regeneration, and individual and collective freedoms.

At the heart of the Festival is The Lift, a ground-breaking design for a mobile venue and meeting place. Connecting local audiences with international artists, The Lift hosts performances, exhibitions, workshops, discussions and screenings.

Lift Festival 2008 Stratford
12 – 21 June

Magnet Theatre

Every Year, Every Day, I Am Walking / Photo: courtesy Magnet Theatre

Lift Festival 2008 Stratford features 30 events including UK premieres from India and South Africa and local works from Canning Town and Stratford. Meet Lift International Associates, artists and local communities and join the conversation about what matters to us most.

The Festival is kick-started by a grand musical housewarming for The Lift before launching into a packed programme of locally hosted events and UK premieres including Indian production Dangalnama. Companies performing at Stratford include Magnet Theatre (South Africa), Theatre Royal Stratford East Young Actors Company, Boy Blue and artists from Urban Development.

 

View the Stratford events...

Lift Festival 2008 Southbank Centre 26 June – 6 July

The Black Arm Band

The Black Arm Band / Photo: John Sones Photography

Lift Festival 2008 Southbank Centre presents global reports from Australia, Canada, China and New Zealand. These UK premiere performances, selected by Lift’s International Associates, are testimonies from artists and communities engaged with the issues of our time. Artists performing at Southbank Centre include The Black Arm Band (Australia), Lemi Ponifasio/MAU (New Zealand), Tara Cheyenne Performance (Canada) and Living Dance Studio (China).

At Southbank Centre Square, The Lift will host Six Adventures in Conversation – a series of engaging events where Londoners will demonstrate they’re not just talking about change but making it happen. Join morning activities at Jumpstart, artists in conversation and A Parliament for Climate Change.

View the Southbank Centre events...

The Lift at Shoreditch Festival 16 – 24 August

Ebonessence

Ebonessence / Photo: courtesy of Ebonessence

With a high-impact programme of events to exercise body and soul, The Lift reappears at Shoreditch Park as part of the Shoreditch Festival in August, and plays host to an inspired mix of free and ticketed events, developed with local groups.

The Lift at Shoreditch Festival features a unique dance collaboration between ANGIKA and local troupe Ebonessence, spectacular French contemporary circus K’boum, Ragroof Theatre and a spoken-word evening produced by Apples and Snakes. The Lift will also host an intriguing world premiere event commissioned by Lift and devised by Coney.

View the Shoreditch Festival events...