Every two years, LIFT brings bold performance from around the world to iconic public spaces, theatres and unexpected places across the capital.
Founded in 1981 by Rose Fenton and Lucy Neal, LIFT has spent more than four decades pushing at the boundaries of where, how and with whom theatre takes place. The Second Woman brought Ruth Wilson together with 100 acting partners over 24 hours. East Wall saw 150 performers storm the Tower of London in Hofesh Shechter’s spectacular mass movement production. Sun & Sea transformed a South East London theatre into a beach for a climate change opera, watched by audiences from above.
Today, LIFT is led by Battersea Arts Centre, a long-time home for experimental performance, working with ground-breaking artists across the globe. This new chapter builds on a creative relationship that goes back to 1983 and a shared curiosity about what theatre can be.
We’re now getting ready for LIFT’s return in summer 2027. Expect five weeks of adventurous performance across London including landmark international productions, intimate experiences and free outdoor performances. Whether theatre is already your thing or you’re not quite sure yet, LIFT is for you.
Before a different future can be built, it must first be imagined, and I want LIFT to offer a space where that imagining can happen.— Pelin Basaran, LIFT’s Artistic Director
LIFT is a story of collaboration and risk taking – of jumping in at the deep end.— Rose Fenton and Lucy Neal, Founders of LIFT