In this episode, co-produced with Battersea Arts Centre a trio of spoken-word artists curated by Kate Tempest will share bite-sized performances on themes of contemporary Britain. Kate Tempest picks up the mic to fuse hip-hop, poetry and theatre as she shares stories from her second album, Let Them Eat Chaos, filmed for BBC Two from the one-of-a-kind Rivoli Ballroom in her neighborhood of Brockley, south-east London. Let Them Eat Chaos is set in the early hours of one morning and traces the lives and stories of seven people, living on a south-east London street, who all find themselves awake at 4.18am.
Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere is about different kinds of popular protest. Written and performed by Paul Mason, former economics editor of Channel 4 News and BBC's Newsnight, the play is a personal account of how we got from the optimism of the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement to the election of Donald Trump. Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere is directed by David Lan and performed by Paul Mason, Khalid Abdalla, Sirine Saba and Lara Sawalha. It is directed for TV by Tim van Someren and produced by the Young Vic in partnership with Totally Theatre Productions.
Flood is the story of what happens when the world is destroyed and how those who survive try to make it new again. One day, it starts to rain and no one knows why. And it doesn't stop. Far out on the North Sea, a fisherman raises a girl in his net, miraculously alive, from the deep sea. Is she one of the migrants now washing up on English shores? Or someone sent for some higher purpose? Set in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event, which has seen England engulfed by water, this play asks a simple question: what if the fleeing masses from our TV screens and Twitter feeds, in their boats and their orange lifejackets, had English accents? A reimagining of the flood myth, it is the story of how the nation is destroyed by a global flood and tsunami wave. Presented on a floating stage in Hull's Victoria Dock, those left fight for survival. Performance Live is a risk-taking and pioneering new strand of programmes, generated through a partnership between BBC Arts, Arts Council England and Battersea Arts Centre, that brings some of the most innovative and exciting artists working in performance in England today to prime time Saturday night television on BBC Two in 2017 and 2018.
Get a Round is based on the hit Edinburgh Fringe show of the same name, made by the Manchester-based trio Eggs Collective, who make sharp, fun, culturally observational performances that fall somewhere in the cracks between theatre and cabaret. This is an all-singing, all-dancing performance with a bit of slapstick thrown in for good measure. They explore feminism and connection through the way they see the world and what they find funny. They write, perform and produce all of their own work. They are Sara Cocker, Lowri Evans and Leonie Higgins. The show is an exploration of politics under the guise of a girls' night out. In the face of continuing bad news and an increasingly divided and unequal Britain, this show asks how we can get through such confusion and look after each other in times of difficulty. It has been specially adapted for television as part of the Performance Live Strand. Through exploring the middle ground between live performance and television, this strand of programmes challenges audience perceptions around what live performance can be.
On October 7 1997, Ross Sutherland was watching EastEnders with his parents when there was a knock at the door. He never saw the end of that episode. Now, 20 years later, Ross returns to his family home to revisit the events of that night, with a little help from EastEnders. Aided by musician Jonnie Common, Ross remixes that fateful episode into an audio-visual poem, finding new meanings hidden in the background of the soap. Part of Performance Live, this film was produced and developed in partnership with Arts Council England and Battersea Arts Centre to showcase some of the most exciting artists working in performance today.
Introduced by Julie Hesmondhalgh, this performance is a warm and honest drama exploring issues around abortion for young women today. Told through the voices of four young women, the production interweaves real interview material, song and spoken word to portray true stories and experiences. The programme deals with challenging themes but filmed on the 50th anniversary of the legalisation of abortion in Britain, writer Julia Samuels explores the way in which society treats this subject and how this impacts on women today, and importantly asks what would happen if we started to talk openly about it? This TV production for Performance Live uses the theatre technique of recorded delivery, where the actors listen to the real recorded interviews through earphones and repeat the words as they hear them, bringing the audience as close to the truth behind the words as possible. Featuring interviews from Great Britain, Northern Ireland and beyond, we meet health professionals, women, men and young people on all sides of the debate. Julia Samuels, writer and producer, says 'The experience of having an abortion is such a taboo in society, and many women feel that they have to keep it a secret. We are pleased to be able to share these stories far and wide, and help combat the stigma around something that happens to one in three British women in their lifetimes.'.
During World War II, the National Gallery's art collection was taken for safekeeping to Snowdonia. Winged Bull in the Elephant Case dramatises the journey of a lost painting that takes human form, as it strives, with help from its friends, to get back to the National Gallery. Combining extraordinary dance forms, filmed underground and in London's National Gallery, this immersive performance for the screen questions how far we should go to preserve our cultural heritage in the face of violence and aggression. Introduced by Clemency Burton-Hill, Winged Bull in the Elephant Case features choreography by Wayne McGregor, with additional choreography by Charlotte Edmonds, Botis Seva and Bonetics, performed by Company Wayne McGregor, Alessandra Ferri, Bonetics, and Far From The Norm. The music is composed by Joel Cadbury, with performances by pianist Joanna MacGregor and cellist Tunde Jegede, and spoken word performed by Isaiah Hull.
Part of the Performance Live strand on BBC Two which aims to showcase some of the most exciting artists working in performance today. This innovative performance by hip hop artist and writer Akala is an abridged version of his epic poem of the same name and is a personal interpretation of history as told through the 'knowledge seeker'. He follows the course of mans evolution, via astral travel and multiple reincarnations, in an attempt to discover the cause of the rise and fall of empires. It is driven by a musical score by Mala and Paul Gladstone-Reid and combines innovative animation techniques and emerging technology with some of the most groundbreaking creative talents in the industry, under the creative guidance of Andy Serkis. Akala, with a host of artists, dancers, and actors bring his poem of man's relationship with himself and the planet, throughout history, to life. Written and performed by Akala, The Ruins Of Empires is a Greenacre Films Limited/Immovable Limited production for the BBC and ACE.
A 60-minute film exploring neuro-diversity in the arts through the work of Samuel Beckett from disabled performer Jess Thom's personal perspective. Jess is an artist and activist who also has Tourette's Syndrome. In this film, Jess takes us on a funny and unpredictable journey of discovery into one of Beckett's most complex plays,and asks us to radically reconsider issues of disability, representation and social exclusion as she prepares to perform the role of Mouth in Not I, in front of a live theatre audience.
A surprising journey through Middlesbrough, in and out of the cabs of three very different drivers - a young British-Pakistani entrepreneur who believes that immigrants have always been enterprising by nature, a local man who used to work in construction on towering glass buildings down south and an older seasoned driver who is in love with his job... until the day he falls out of it. Their stories uncover what lies beneath the surface of a post-industrial northern town and unfold into a state-of-the-nation tale. The show stars three local taxi drivers from Middlesbrough and features a supporting cast of Tees Valley locals - all of whom are non-actors. Taxi Tales is part of the Performance Live strand - a partnership between BBC Arts, Arts Council England and Battersea Arts Centre, showcasing some of the most exciting artists working in performance today. Originally a piece of theatre set in cabs where the passengers were the audience, the show is written and presented by Middlesbrough taxi driver turned playwright/screenwriter Ishy Din, directed by Bafta winner Ben Anthony and produced by Tamasha Theatre Company. 'For us the most exciting thing about being part of Performance Live is the groundbreaking nature of the two disciplines of theatre and television coming together to think about producing something in a new way - a TV show that goes beyond simple capture of theatrical performance and recreates and re-imagines it for the small screen. Taxi Tales delves under the surface of a city in the UK and dramatises it in a way that, we hope, will be fresh and revealing for TV audiences.' - Tamasha Tamasha is Britain's leading touring theatre company producing critically acclaimed plays that put diverse artists centre-stage. During their 30-year history successes like East Is East, Snookered and Made in India have won acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
Hofesh Shechter's Clowns is a dance film that plays out a macabre comedy of murder and desire, asking how far will we go in the name of entertainment. Directed, choreographed and composed by Hofesh Shechter, it combines bold, exhilarating and tribal movement by ten dancers with a percussive, cinematic score. Hofesh Shechter's Clowns was commissioned by the BBC as part of the Performance Live strand - a partnership between BBC Arts, Arts Council England and Battersea Arts Centre, showcasing some of the most exciting artists working in performance today. Produced by Hofesh Shechter Company and Illuminations.
The story of families brought together, placed in temporary accommodation in the run-up to Christmas. The bonds of love that keep people together are put to the test.
A surreal, theatrical adventure in which a young person escapes into a seemingly empty building at night and meets a mysterious guide who offers them an alternative way out. Filmed in Battersea Arts Centre, in one continuous, unbroken shot, this is an immersive journey through a labyrinth of rooms and corridors, propelled by performances by extraordinary artists. Omid Djalili leads the journey as the enigmatic Guide. The Young Person is played by Bláithín Mac Gabhann, and there are performances by some of the most exciting, diverse artists working in the UK today, including Lucy McCormick, Caleb Femi, Botis Seva, Le Gateau Chocolat, The Cocoa Butter Club, Sanah Ahsan and Too Hot For Candy. Directed by Suri Krishnamma and produced by Battersea Arts Centre in partnership with Arts Council England and BBC Arts as part of the Performance Live strand.
