1981

The inaugural LIFT was staged in 1981, presenting 16+ companies from Brazil, Poland, Malaysia, Japan, France, The Netherlands, West Germany, Peru, and the UK.
Rose Fenton and Lucy Neal founded LIFT as young graduates from Warwick University, hoping to "challenge British theatre and open a window on the world". The performances presented in the festival had never been seen in the UK before, and were experimental and political in nature.