Greenwich and Docklands International Festival Announces New Commissions For 2017 Programme

Artistic Director Bradley Hemmings today announces eight new commissioned productions for the 2017 Greenwich + Docklands International Festival (GDIF), London's leading festival of outdoor theatre and performing arts. These are the first performances to be announced at this year's event which runs from 23 June to 8 July in locations across RoyAl Greenwich, Docklands and Tower Hamlets, with the full programme to be announced shortly.

The commissions include a new version of Arthur Miller's tragic masterpiece, A View from The Bridge from Belgian collective De Roovers, presented in a dramatic Thameside location, at Peninsula Quays, Greenwich Peninsula, echoing the play's Brooklyn waterfront setting; Museum of the Moon, acclaimed artist Luke Jerram's seven metre diameter moon sculpture featuring detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface, located at the Old Royal Observatory Garden in Greenwich Park; and Rear View a journey with performance poetry presented on a specially adapted double-decker bus from IOU Theatre.

Other commissions include Da Native, a new production from hip hop theatre collective Far From The Norm exploring identity and diversity through martial arts inspired movement; Bingo Lingo, a satirical look at disability in 21st century Britain drawing on the great UK tradition of seaside bingo; a virtual reality playground experience from Professor BrenDan Walker and Thrill Laboratory; and Deaf Men Dancing with Corazón a Corazón combining British Sign Language, tango and aerial performance to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. Bringing the festival to a close on 8 July is The Colour of Light, a promenade theatre production from the legendary French street theatre ensemble Compagnie Off and leading UK South Asian composer Shri Sriram taking place in Woolwich.

Bradley Hemmings said today, "This year's festival offers something different, revealing new perspectives on the world through outdoor theatre. I'm delighted that today we're announcing a programme of eight commissions from a diverse range of UK and International Artists. Outdoor theatre, with its disruption of the everyday, helps us to see and experience the world anew and I'm very proud that these ground-breaking productions offer such inventive new approaches and voices."

GDIF forms part of the RoyAl Greenwich Festivals, an annual series of high-quality events organised by the Royal Borough of Greenwich to celebrate cultural vibrancy.

Councillor Denise Scott-McDonald, Cabinet Member for Culture, Creative Industries and Community Well-Being, said: "This summer residents and visitors can look forward to watching - and participating in - an incredible array of events during the RoyAl Greenwich Festivals. Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, which has a remarkable commitment to commissioning and programming new outdoor theatre, is a central part of the celebrations and a majority of the shows are free. I look forward to being amongst the first to experience these new productions."

De Roovers

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE

Thursday 22 June-Sunday 25 June, 9pm
Peninsula Quays, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10

Tickets: £15, £12 (concessions) from gdif.eventbrite.co.uk
Limited number of free standby tickets available on the door (Queue from 8pm)

Arthur Miller's tragic masterpiece comes to a dramatic Thameside location in the UK première of acclaimed Belgian company De Roovers' adaptation, in a new English translation. A story of dock workers and illegal migrants in search of the American dream is given new resonance against the backdrop of the 21st century London riverscape.

De Roovers, founded in 1994, is a theatre ensemble that works without a director. Starting with challenging material - either classical or contemporary - the actors make and perform theatre that, through compelling text, innovative approaches to design and an urgent performance style, examines issues that are socially relevant.

Luke Jerram

MUSEUM OF THE MOON

Friday 23-Sunday 25 June
Old Royal Observatory Garden, Greenwich Park, SE10

Night time performances 10pm and 11pm (Friday 23 & Saturday 24 June) £10 from gdif.eventbrite.co.uk

Free access during the day (1pm-8pm Saturday 24 June) and (12pm - 5pm Sunday 25 June)

Museum of the Moon is a new touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram. Measuring seven metres in diameter, this spectacular, internally lit sculpture, features detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. The installation offers a fusion of lunar imagery and sound design created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones.

Luke Jerram's multidisciplinary practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live art projects. Living in the UK but working internationally for 19 years, Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe.

IOU Theatre

REAR VIEW

Thursday 29 June - Sunday 2 July
Thursday 29 & Friday 30 June 5pm, 6.30pm, 8pm

Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 July 12pm, 1.30pm, 3pm, 4.30pm

Begins at the Eltham Centre, 2 Archery Road, SE9

Tickets £10 from gdif.eventbrite.co.uk
(An allocation of tickets will be made available to Eltham residents via local ballot.)

Take a tour aboard IOU's custom-made bus for an unforgettable journey in reverse. Beginning in a life-drawing class, Rear View blurs the line between reality and fiction in this moving odyssey through a woman's life featuring performance poets Cecilia Knapp and Jemima Foxtrot.

Under the leadership of founding member, David Wheeler, IOU Theatre has delivered art and performance projects to audiences across Europe for the last 40 years. IOU has always worked with the technology of the time, making original work across art-forms, including sound, video and sculpture, site specific performance, interactive digital and virtual worlds.

Wild N Beets
BINGO LINGO
Saturday 24 - Sunday 25 June

Part of 'Greenwich Fair' - Greenwich Town Centre, SE10
Greenwich Fair 1pm-8pm (Saturday 24 June) and 12pm-7pm (Sunday 25 June)
Free

Bingo Lingo is an uproarious game of chance, harnessing the nation's love for bingo. Played on oversized bingo cards, and compered by bingo-loving hosts Beryl and Cyril, it is a game for everyone, where disability politics meets cheeky end of the pier humour, in a re-invention of a great UK tradition. So it's eyes down for a game like you've never played before!

Daryl Beeton and Nicola Miles-Wildin have worked together, exploring ways to make outdoor work accessible and inclusive, since 2007. Through their collaborations at Graeae, their work on the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and with young people's theatre company, Kazzum, they have created imaginative and engaging outdoor work. Bingo Lingo is the first show from their emerging company Wild N Beets, and was developed with support from the Mayor of London's Liberty Festival and is part of this year's Without Walls' (UK Street Arts Consortium) platform of new outdoor performances.

Far From The Norm

DA NATIVE

Saturday 24 - Sunday 25 June

Part of 'Greenwich Fair' - Greenwich Town Centre, SE10
Greenwich Fair 1pm-8pm (Saturday 24 June) and 12pm-7pm (Sunday 25 June)
Free

Returning to GDIF after its football-inspired H.O.H, Far From The Norm are back with Da Native, a mythic exploration of identity and diversity in post-Brexit Britain. Drawing on martial arts and set to a stunning soundtrack, Da Native rejoices, as communities come together in a melting pot of understanding.

Established in May 2009, Far From The Norm was founded by artistic director Botis Seva and is a collective of dance artists renowned for experimenting with hip hop, whilst tackling socio-political concerns. Far From The Norm's work crosses theatre, outdoor spectacle and immersive experiences, and the company is renowned for challenging and inspiring its audiences.

Thrill Laboratory

VR PLAYGROUND

Saturday 24 - Sunday 25 June

Part of 'Greenwich Fair' - at the General Wolfe Statue, Greenwich Park, SE10
Greenwich Fair 1pm-8pm (Saturday 24 June) and 12pm-7pm (Sunday 25 June)
Free

Don a VR headset, jump on a playground swing, and be transported inside an experimental virtual reality ride created by the world's only Thrill Engineer, Professor BrenDan Walker, and his team of Thrill Laboratory technicians. Presented close to the Royal Observatory, VR Playground invites you to experience the home of time and space in a totally new light.

Thrill Laboratory is a collective of artists, designers, engineers, scientists and technologists who, under Walker's direction over the last ten years, have been perfecting the art of creating, producing and examining new forms of thrilling experience.

Deaf Men Dancing

CORAZÓN A CORAZÓN

Saturday 24 - Sunday 25 June

Part of 'Greenwich Fair' - Greenwich Town Centre, SE10
Greenwich Fair 1pm-8pm (Saturday 24 June) and 12pm-7pm (Sunday 25 June)
Free

Inspired by Manuel Puig's 'Kiss of the Spider Woman', and commemorating the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, Corazón a Corazón explores themes of sex, love, passion, betrayal, politics, oppression and power.

Founded by Mark Smith, Deaf Men Dancing is an ensemble of professional male dancers who, like Mark, are deaf. They've created and developed a fusion of different styles of dance with sign-language incorporated into choreography creating a uniquely accessible and original aesthetic.

Compagnie Off

THE COLOUR OF LIGHT

Saturday 8 July, 8.45pm
Starts from The Assembly statues, No.1 Street, Royal Arsenal Riverside, SE18

Free

One of France's leading outdoor theatre companies returns to GDIF to launch a national tour of a new production, conceived as a spectacular welcoming ceremony. With a specially commissioned new soundtrack from British Asian composer Shri Sriram, volunteer participation, special effects and giant chromatic wheels, the production will provide a stunning finale to this year's Festival.

Founded by Artistic Director Philippe Freslon in 1986, Compagnie Off started with the creation of small outdoor shows and has grown over the years into one of France's most respected outdoor companies. Previously seen at GDIF in 2011 with their iconic production of Giraffes the company are currently preparing for the world premiere of their latest production Wild Side Story based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Photo credit: Stef Sessel