Iris Theatre Announces Programming For Outdoor Summer Festival 2021

Paul-Ryan Carberry, Artistic Director of Iris Theatre, today announces full programme for their Summer Festival 2021, running in the courtyard of the Actors' Church, their home in the heart of Covent Garden from 21 June - 22 August 2021. All performances will adhere to social distancing in line with government guidelines.

The Summer Festival includes Iris Theatre's world première production Arthur/Merlin, a reimagining of the Arthurian legend featuring spoken word and original songs written by previous PLATFORM artist, Reuben Johnson and directed by the company's Artistic Director, Paul-Ryan Carberry.

The festival also includes five pieces from the company's Seed Commission Scheme for 2021, an initiative opened for applications from early-career artists or companies in Spring this year. The selected artists/companies are:

• Flux Theatre with Danielle Pearson's Queen Mab in a co-production with Arsalan Sattari Productions
• Tom Ryalls presents Can You See Into A Black Hole?, directed by Deidre McLaughlin
• FAIR PLAY. present Shoes to Fill by Tanya Bridgeman, directed by Alex Miller
• Zoe Woodruff and Kathryn Tindall present new musical The Red Side of The Moon
• Tiny T's Storytelling & Theatre present Spectacular! a new show for children

Each recipient receives £1000, as well as technical, marketing and creative support from Iris Theatre to develop and present their work as part of the Summer Festival. Each artist receives 50% of their production's box office revenue.

In addition, Iris Theatre present Eyes On - a series of one-off work in progress shows from a variety of artists running throughout the festival, and Shakespeare Sunday's which will present new pieces inspired by the bard and his work on selected Sundays throughout the summer, with full programming and dates to be announced.

Paul-Ryan Carberry, Artistic Director and Charlotte Lund, Executive Director of Iris Theatre said today, ""We're thrilled to be launching our Summer Season today alongside these five incredible companies. Make no bones about it, this festival is an unabashed celebration of theatre, a championing of early-career artists and of their exceptional work. Iris has long been renowned for innovative, bold and site-specific outdoor work and we can't wait to welcome audiences back to our garden once again this summer. With our new retelling of one of the greatest adventures ever told; Arthur/Merlin, and loads of incredible new work from a generation of new voices, there is, as always, something for everyone. Come down...you're all welcome...and we'll see you in the garden!"

Sofi Berenger, Chair of Iris Theatre Board, also commented, "We're very excited to be able to offer much needed outdoor performance space this summer for early-career artists. The exceptional talent on offer ensures there is a bit of something for everyone and marks a defiant return to live performance. We very much look forward to welcoming all the artists and audiences back to Iris Theatre and the stunning St Paul's church gardens."

All tickets being sold for in-person events have social distancing restrictions in place and masks must be worn unless proof of exemption is provided. For more information on how events will be taking place, please visit https://www.iristheatre.com/whats-on