A house will be submerged in the water at Royal Docks this summer, leaving only the roof visible — with dance performances taking place on top.
Sliding Slope by Dutch theatre company Vloeistof depicts four people fighting for survival in the face of climate change and rising sea levels. It's inspired by the North Sea Flood of 1953, and aims to highlight why we need to stop living in denial about what's happening to the planet. The free performances take place on 2 and 3 September.
It's part of the annual Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, a two-week beano of outdoor theatre and performing arts which has more than 35 events on its programme this year — the majority of which are free.
Other highlights include:
- Open Line: The launch event, which sees tight-rope walker Tatiana Mosio Bongonga crossing above General Gordon Square in Woolwich, with live music and aerial acrobatics thrown in. FREE, 25 August
- The Air Between Us: An airborne dance show by multi-award-winning disabled artist Rodney Bell and dancer/choreographer Chloe Loftus, making clever use of counterweighting. See it in Greenwich Park as part of Greenwich Fair. FREE, 26 August
- Cygnus: A flotilla of 12 life-sized swans which light up different colours and move in formation in the dark. FREE, 31 August-3 September
We're also promised a "final iconic spectacle" to be to be staged in an "iconic location", though details of that haven't yet been announced. Sounds iconic though.
Greenwich + Docklands International Festival takes place 25 August-10 September 2023.
