The Yard Theatre's Annual Festival Of Theatre And Performance Returns

The Yard kicks off the year with its acclaimed annual NOW festival. 5 weeks of double bills by 10 of the most exciting artists working in theatre today.

Artists include Daniel Oliver and Marikiscrycrycry who return to the NOW festival following brilliant shows in NOW 18 and 19, and Vivian Chinasa Ezugha, Edythe E Woolley, Eirini Kartsaki and Ben Target who have previously been seen across The Yard's NEXT and Live Drafts festivals. The line-up is completed by new shows from Julie Cunningham, Ultimate Dancer, Jamal Gerald and Julia Croft & Nisha Madhan.

Alongside the theatre programme a vibrant line-up of NOW Lates, weekly late-night music and performance events as well as The Yards regular diverse music programme. This year's NOW Lates line-up includes events from FEM Zine, a creative network showcasing work by marginalised genders, and queer sober party and mental health collective Misery, with more to be announced.

NOW artists often work across The Yard's programmes, including with Yard Local. Daniel Oliver is currently exploring swamps and forests with 4-6 year olds of Yardlings: Big, while NOW 19 artist Brian Lobel is making a show with the 15-19 year olds of the Queen's Yard Company, to be announced next year.

Founder and Artistic Director Jay Miller:

"Our annual Now Festival is a highlight of every year. This is the most radical part of our program: when artists do the unexpected, making us feel new feelings, and enabling us to see the world anew.

We bring shows that normally sit in a Live Art context onto our stage to inform all of the plays we make throughout the year, and the more 'traditional' plays then inform the Live Art we commission for NOW. This cross-pollination of different performance arts creates entirely new types of experiences for audiences, that they can't find anywhere else.

NOW 20

Tuesday 21 January - Saturday 22 February

7:30pm | 9pm, Tuesday - Saturday

Press welcome throughout

Julie Cunningham | Marikiscrycrycry | Ultimate Dancer | Daniel Oliver & Frauke Requardt | Jamal Gerald | Eirini Kartsaki & Tasos Stamou | Vivian Chinasa Ezugha | Edythe E Woolley | Ben Target | Julia Croft & Nisha Madhan

NOW is back in 2020. The festival for the best theatre for right Now. 10 exceptional artists in 5 mind-blowing double bills. Explosive shows about Tupac and queer Greek myth, human monsters and saying goodbye, neurodiverse parenting and Black saints.

NOW is one of the UK's leading festivals of theatre and performance, and since its inception has welcomed over 10,000 audience members and nearly 100 of the most exciting names in theatre and live art.

These artists are at the top of their game - and alongside their shows we have a feast of late night music and events in NOW Lates to keep you dancing til the early hours. Watch this space.

Each double bill is £20, or £17 for concessions. If you buy a ticket to more than one then we'll give you 20% off every ticket. And if you buy a £60 festival pass you'll get to see all 10 shows for just £6 each.

WEEK 1 Tuesday 21 - Saturday 24 January

7:30pm | Daniel Oliver & Frauke Requardt | Dadderrs
Daniel is dyspraxic and is too slow. Frauke has ADHD and is too quick. Escape with them into the fantastical world of play - the Meadowdrome.

9pm | Eirini Kartsaki & Tasos Stamou | IN A WAY SO BRUTAL

This is a show about human monsters and giving in to our own monstrosity.

WEEK 2 Tuesday 28 January - Saturday 1 February

7:30pm | Ultimate Dancer | Lite Metle
Reality is skewed in mystical and strange directions through dance and uncanny songs and sound.

9pm | Julie Cunningham | Fire Bird
Firefighting. Fighting to stay alive. Fighting to keep going. Fighting failure.

WEEK 3 Tuesday 4 - Saturday 8 February

7:30pm | Vivian Chinasa Ezugha | Performing DNA
I have to cleanse, I have to run, I have to medicate, I have to get through this day.

9pm | Marikiscrycrycry | He's Dead
A dark fantasy choreography that asks the (unanswerable) question: Was Tupac Depressed?

WEEK 4 Tuesday 11 - Saturday 15 February

7:30pm | Jamal Gerald | Idol
Who would you rather pray to? Beyoncé or white Jesus?

9pm | Edythe E Woolley | Sensitive Plumbing
Mixing Greek myth and post-apocalypse fantasy to create a queer-utopia in dystopia.

WEEK 5 Tuesday 18 - Saturday 22 February

7:30pm | Ben Target | How To Build A Lighthouse
Tales of belonging, goodbyes, forgiveness. life that spans oceans.

9pm | Julia Croft & Nisha Madhan | Working On My Night Moves
A quest for utopia via science fiction, quantum physics and dubstep mash ups.

The Yard Theatre Unit 2a Queen's Yard, London E9 5EN

Tickets £20, £17 concessions, £60 festival pass, £5 on the door for U26s

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