LIFT 2014: Pioneering Theatre, Global Stories & Social Change

Lindsey
By Lindsey Last edited 118 months ago
LIFT 2014: Pioneering Theatre, Global Stories & Social Change
Opus no 7: giant puppets, duelling pianos, living walls and blizzards of paper at Barbican
Opus no 7: giant puppets, duelling pianos, living walls and blizzards of paper at Barbican
Symphony of a Missing Room at Royal Academy
Symphony of a Missing Room at Royal Academy
Up on The Roof
Up on The Roof
Belarus Free Theatre explore the impact of environmental change and man-made disaster through myth, folklore and true stores in Red Forest
Belarus Free Theatre explore the impact of environmental change and man-made disaster through myth, folklore and true stores in Red Forest
Sadly sold out, Deblozay's dance with the dead promenade through London's streets
Sadly sold out, Deblozay's dance with the dead promenade through London's streets
The Museum of Water will open under Somerset House
The Museum of Water will open under Somerset House

London International Festival of Theatre, or LIFT as it's neatly known, has an eye for innovation and unique spaces, so three cheers because a feast of the strange and the beautiful, the quirky and challenging is ready to unfold in a whole range of London venues throughout June. Global stories will be told in innovative and unexpected ways. Find the full programme here but check out our Londony highlights:

Immersive tour: Already underway is an immersive experience at the Royal Academy, Symphony of a Missing Room. "Using multisensory technology, invisible dance and whispered illusion, it leads you on a collective and extremely personal journey through the Royal Academy’s public and private spaces revealing the building as never before." Tickets £25, until 8 June.

Game on a roof: Or perhaps you prefer a 360 degree panoramic performance on a rooftop car park? The cofounder of Shunt, theatre director David Rosenberg and choreographer Frauke Requardt present The Roof and drop you into a "brutal and unforgiving game" wearing headphones and witnessing the "hairtrigger movement of freerunning". Tickets £24.50-£29.50, 30 May-28 June.

Promenade performance: Turfed looks at the global issue of youth homelessness through a promenade performance at Hackney Downs Studio. There's a football flavour to this one, which promises an experience of rebellion and hope through "spoken word, sharp choreography and stunning visuals". Tickets £12/10 to £15/10 from 9-21 June.

Water in catacombs: Visit the Museum of Water in the Dead House and Light Wells of Somerset House and consider its exhibition of samples of the most precious liquid the world has to offer. The collection includes "water from a holy river in India, to a burst London water main, ice from a Sussex field, a melted snowman, 20-year-old evaporated snow from Maine, condensation from a Falmouth window, Hackney rainwater, a new born baby’s bath water, Norwegian spit, three types of wee, two different breaths and water from a bedside table said to be infused with dreams." Free, open 10am-6pm, 6-29 June.

Miniature war: Watch The Great War reconstructed using toy soldiers, potting soil, parsley and rusty nails at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Using live animation and a miniature film set, Hotel Modern attempt to make the experience of the Western Front tangible on a tiny scale. Tickets £22.50, 22-24 June.

Change: Special event series, Change for a Tenner is "a celebration of the messy, awkward and beautiful art of social change in 2014. It’s a search for tactics, approaches and devices to bring people together to find small change, big change and change we want." Events take place at Kilburn's Tin Tabernacle, a hidden Bloomsbury church, Peckham Liberal Club, Wilton's, a warehouse theatre and culminate in a gameshow finale at Shoreditch Town Hall. Tickets are...a tenner. Meet other people interested in making a difference. Buy two for any Change event and get a third free!

Find our more: take a look at the festival brochure here or visit the LIFT website.

Last Updated 23 May 2014