It seemed highly appropriate to attend this launch on the very day the Supreme Court made Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament illegal. Once again Brexit can be debated and once again there may be hopes of not pulling our country out of Europe with devastating consequences. The organisers of Voila! - London’s European Theatre Festival, now in its seventh year - are all too aware of the political connotations that this event increasingly has. Indeed what started off as an English/French liaison has now - especially since the Brexit announcement - become pan-European. The festival very broadly explores what it means for us to share a European identity. It’s about culture although now “inherently political” - with a vital objective to “keep London a European city”.
The festival is running for 2 weeks in November and split between two London venues: The Cockpit Theatre - a long-standing fringe venue in Marylebone with a large studio space; and Rich Mix - the vibrant Arts Venue in Bethnal Green (just off Brick Lane) that hosts world music, art exhibitions, film, and performing arts throughout the year (with a great South Indian in-house restaurant - frequently tried and tested!) And with 23 shows on offer (shortlisted from hundreds of proposals), this looks to be a very exciting, unique and eclectic theatre experience.
The programme spans comedy, physical theatre, music, new writing, improvisation, robotics, clowning, satire, interactive performance, circus …”and more” - with many of the pressing challenges we face as Europeans explored; and unsurprisingly the environmental crisis emerging as a central theme for some of the pieces this year.
There are too many genuinely enticing shows to list here, but here are a few to look out for... firstly showing at The Cockpit: ‘Right, Left’ by the Stigma Collective (Lithuania, Poland, UK) see a pair of shoes as the protagonists, being passed from owner to owner in post war Europe, having been originally custom-made for Magda Goebbels - the unofficial first lady of Nazi Germany. ‘How Eva Von Schnippisch Saved Hollywood’ (Germany, UK) is a scandal fuelled, “hilarious” one woman musical comedy following the fortunes of cabaret star turned WW2 double agent who now post war, is Tinstletown bound. ‘Lighthouse’ (Belgium, France, UK) ponders our own “entanglement with plastic”, combining dance, circus and clowning...with plastic tubing morphing from being a stage partner, to props, to aerial apparatus. (The mind boggles!) ‘Rest(less)’ (Bulgaria, Norway, UK) is a dynamic piece of Physical Theatre exploring the lives of four bees, finishing work for the day and retiring to their warm, honey-soaked home as they face imminent burnout.
Rich Mix - which is involved with Voila! for the first time this year, has an equally diverse array of exciting performances - some of which have been developed in a Voila/Rich Mix residency. One such company is Created A Monster Theatre who have devised ‘Conspiracy of Orphans’ (UK). Comprising of two mime artists/ performers who have recently graduated from the Lecoq School in Paris, the piece combines the physical comedy of Buster Keaton and the surreal aesthetics of Magritte, with a trance-like soundscape of Russian electronica as a brother and sister visit their parent's grave on their birthday. This promises to be a memorable piece combining “silent comedy and quiet tragedy”.
This is all just a snapshot of what’s on offer. The full programme can be viewed at www.voilafestival.co.uk . Plus to really kick the festival off there is FREE entry to the Voila! Europe opening party on 4th November at Rich Mix … with cocktails and the chance to meet festival artists. And most importantly it’s “open to all … no passports required!”
Voila! Europe runs from 4th - 17th November 2019.
Reportage - Georgina Elliott
on - 24/9/1/9
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