Battersea Arts Centre today announces an autumn season of uplifting and powerful work, OverCome; a collection of shows about being bold and working towards a unified future. Tickets are now available to friends and members, with booking open to the public from 10am on Friday 6 August via bac.org.uk
The heart of the programme features inspiring, female-led work from artists including Figs in Wigs with Little Wimmin - a wild, darkly funny adaptation of a classic by the irreverent, live-art collective (20-29 Oct); a cathartic approach to trauma recovery for audience and artist alike in Heather Agyepong’s new solo work, The Body Remembers (20 Oct-4 Nov); and Endurance, where Jennifer Jackson reclaims public space for women as she channels her Bolivian heritage in a blend of dance, theatre and sports spectacle (3-13 Nov).
Malú Ansaldo, Interim Programming Director at Battersea Arts Centre, says:
“If we are to OVERCOME this global challenge collectively, we need everyone on board. This incredible array of work reflects on our unique ability to power through, learn, grow and expand in the face of uncertainty, challenges and hardship. I am excited about this season, and even more so to see how art can act as a catalyst for real change in our lives. We need change. We can be that change.
“The womb of the programme is an exciting micro-season in itself, a beating heart of resilient inspiration, endurance and activist charm. An iconic line-up of female and queer artists will present work that not only tackles inequality, harassment and survival, but which also has in its soul a song of resistance and fight. Their stories are testimonies of strength, pushing us to think consciously about how we re-build the world we live in.”
Celebrate the power of the human body in collective motion with two visceral experiences, as over 70 performers take over the entire building in James Cousins Company’s first large-scale immersive show, We Are As Gods (6-10 Oct); and internationally renowned choreographer Hofesh Shechter’s POLITICAL MOTHER: UNPLUGGED roars into life in the Grand Hall (3-5 Nov).
Festive cheer is fully stocked this year with delightful shows for a variety of appetites, including: Sleeping Beauty & The Beast, a joyful new panto-mashup mystery for families from award-winning trio Sleeping Trees (26 Nov – 30 Dec); The Glory’s Jonny Woo presents an All Star Christmas Cabaret (2 –11 Dec); and local storyteller Mark Thomas stands up to the darkest time of year with a rebellious celebration, An Extra Plate (14-23 Dec).
BAC will continue to offer rich cultural events outside the creative hub’s physical walls: The Interrogation is a new, solo, interactive, audio and video journey through local streets by learning disabled theatre company Access All Areas (28 Sept – 3 Oct); the world premiere of Rachael Young’s short film PLOUGH addresses the climate crisis and gentrification through a Black, Queer lens (29 Oct – 7 Nov); and Heart n Soul present an evening of joy with another Lockdown Mixtape, featuring their hottest acts performing brand new music created during lockdown, for audiences to dance along at home (19 Nov).
To better support the voices and needs of the local community, BAC put power in the hands of three young female artists to create events which speak directly to their experiences and interests. These new commissions include the opportunity to explore music and heritage in an accessible way, through a free VR installation of indigenous African instruments; carving out vital time for self-care among single mums in the area; and an evening paint & party for BAC’s younger neighbours to relax and let the creativity flow alongside a live DJ.
Tarek Iskander, Artistic Director and CEO of Battersea Arts Centre, says:
Everyone at BAC has a deep understanding of how groundbreaking arts and culture can spark lasting, positive change in our many communities – because we see this every day. So BAC has never missed a season throughout this pandemic. The remarkable collection of work in our latest, the OverCome season, insists on finding new ways for us all to connect and shape a better future.
Like other cultural organisations, throughout the pandemic we have continued to ask our communities what they need; we’ve sent PlayKits to children, provided support and creative outlets for young people, invested in artists’ development, co-ordinated national networks, hosted a vaccine centre – to name but a few. With our ongoing commitment to being a Relaxed Venue and extending the successful Pay What You Can pricing model, we will continue to remove barriers so that everyone feels safe, welcome and included – that in itself can feel radical at a time where social inequalities are dividing us. Art and creativity can bring us all together, in a way few other things can, and the imaginative changes needed to refashion our communities depend on all of us. That’s the job right now – and we’re determined to do our bit.
To make its work as accessible to as wide an audience as possible, Covid-19 safety measures will be in place for all of Battersea Arts Centre’s live events. This includes asking all audiences who are not exempt to wear masks, and offering at least one performance per week where social distancing measures are in place.
It’s more important than ever for BAC to continue to make it easier for everyone to enjoy more creativity in their lives. Following a successful launch earlier this year, all events in the autumn season will be part of Battersea Arts Centre’s universal Pay What You Can pricing model. Every event will be Relaxed and more BSL interpreted, live captioned or sensory adapted performances than ever will be available. To give everyone the information they need in order to make decisions, pre-show information and details about BAC’s Covid-19 safety measures can be found on BAC’s website: bac.org.uk/keeping-you-safe/
In what continues to be a challenging time, Battersea Arts Centre gratefully acknowledges the support of all its funders and partners, including Arts Council England, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Wandsworth Borough Council. Tremendous thanks to the Treasury, the Culture Secretary and everyone at DCMS, and Arts Council England for supporting BAC through the Culture Recovery Fund. BAC’s autumn season was made possible by generous investment and support from the Weston family and the Garfield Weston Foundation through the Weston Culture Fund.
Chimna Orji
The OGBU Collective
Sun 12 Sept 2021
Location: tbc
The OGBU Collective (Only Giving Back Unconditionally) team up with Battersea Arts Centre to create a relaxing escape for single mothers within the community. Acknowledging the daily sacrifices made and extra obstacles faced by single mothers in these challenging times, they will be encouraged to take a seat, connect with other mums in the area, and make time for a little bit of self-care. Activities to benefit the mind and body include nail pampering stations, hand and feet massages, meditation sessions, an affirmations table and much more. They will also receive a care package with items for themselves and their little ones, a reminder to continue the practise of self-care at home.
This is the second project focusing on solutions for the local community’s most pressing needs from The OGBU Collective, following their campaign to create and deliver personalised care packages to NHS staff with supportive messages of gratitude from the community.
Access All Areas
The Interrogation
Co-created with Charlene Salter, Shaun Dunne and Marmelo
Offsite & Digital, World Premiere
Tues 28 Sept – Sun 3 Oct 2021
The Interrogation has been created by learning disabled artist Charlene Salter in response to how she’s been treated in public, just because she’s seen as acting differently. Commissioned by The Lowry and touring nationally through local streets, this new, interactive, audio and video production by Access All Areas asks you to question the causes of criminality, the ableism of language, and the feeling of being judged as a learning disabled person.
Follow the story of a shocking local crime on a GPS-guided journey using a smartphone, headphones and new mobile app technology. Taking place simultaneously across London, audiences can choose to experience the show in South London (Battersea Arts Centre), or in East London (Rich Mix).
Co-written by playwright Shaun Dunne, and co-directed by Emma Selwyn and Nick Llewellyn, this production has been created as part of Access All Areas “Transforming Leadership” programme.
Performed by Charlene Salter, Emma Selwyn, Cian Binchy, Kirsty Adams, Dayo Koleosho, and Lee Phillips
Co-Written by Charlene Salter and Shaun Dunne
Co-Directed by Emma Selwyn and Nick Llewellyn
Produced by Patrick Collier and Conor Heron
App Created by creative technology company Marmelo
Sound design by Max Pappenheim
Video design by Mann Bros
James Cousins Company
We Are As Gods
Building takeover, World Premiere
Weds 6 – Sun 10 Oct 2021
Press night Thurs 7 Oct, 7.30pm
We Are As Gods draws together James Cousins’ “strikingly original” (The Guardian) choreography with music and sound design by Torben Lars Sylvest (Far From the Norm, Scottish Dance Theatre) and Pär Carlsson (Film4) to create the company’s first large-scale immersive experience.
The production will feature recorded text by British-Egyptian poet Sabrina Mahfouz (Royal Court, BBC) on human connection, intimacy and our responsibility as humankind to rebuild better.
Audiences will choose their own journey throughout Battersea Arts Centre’s maze of rooms, rooftops and secret stairways, as over 70 performers, including some of the UK’s most exciting dance talent, perform new work fused with extracts from Cousins’ acclaimed productions. The night will culminate with an after-party in the iconic Grand Hall, for audiences to rediscover the joy of moving together.
Choreography: James Cousins
Music and Sound Design: Torben Lars Sylvest & Pär Carlsson
Writer: Sabrina Mahfouz
Associate Director: Hannes Langolf
Associate Choreographer: Alethia Antonia
Associate Choreographer: Gareth Mole
Featuring the final year BA students of London Contemporary Dance School, The Place
Supported by Arts Council England, National Lottery Community Foundation, the Fidelio Trust and generously by private supporters.
The James Cousins Company takeover at Battersea Arts Centre is supported by Cockayne - Grants for the Arts and the London Community Foundation.
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Hannah Blair
African Music Heritage
Foyer
Sun 17 Oct – Sun 7 Nov 2021
Music education is not accessible to everyone due to geographic, financial, and socioeconomic reasons, despite its incredible benefits to the individual and communities. Marimba Jam and vrcalm have teamed up to build a Virtual Reality experience to solve this problem.
The new, interactive, educational VR software invites audiences to experience the captivating sounds, try out traditional playing techniques and explore the rich cultural heritage of indigenous African instruments. The installation will be available in BAC’s welcoming foyer, free to enjoy for visitors of all ages, alongside more in-depth workshops for young creative groups in the local area.
Hannah Blair is a multi-award-winning tech developer and programmer living in Battersea. She is the co-founder of vrcalm, an uplifting Virtual Reality experience to improve quality of life for people with dementia. Marimba Jam is a vibrant, female-led social enterprise that both performs and teaches African Marimbas in Cape Town, driven by the preservation of history and culture for future youth.
Figs in Wigs
Little Wimmin
Grand Hall
Weds 20 – Fri 29 Oct 2021
Figs in Wigs (Often Onstage, Show Off) return to BAC for their biggest show yet, taking over the Grand Hall with their live art feminist ‘adaptation’ of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel Little Women.
Wild, irreverent and cosmically comical, Little Wimmin dismantles the traditional canon in the face of contemporary calamity to ask “what’s changed, for better or for worse?”. 150 years after the publication of Alcott’s novel, are we any closer to gender equality? And if we’re all going to be underwater in 12 years, does it even matter?
The female company of five transform the novel into a darkly funny, thought-provoking and surreal show with their distinctive punky and clunky perspective. The Figs use the story as their very own trojan horse, turning it on its head and mutating it into an unrecognizable cartoon catastrophe about climate change, spanking the patriarchy and the infinite nature of the universe.
Little Wimmin was co-commissioned by HOME Manchester and by Cambridge Junction through Stobbs New Ideas Fund. Funded by Arts Council England. Its creation was also supported by the artsdepot Creation Space Bursary, Battersea Arts Centre, Pleasance Theatre, New Diorama, Metal Southend and Queen Mary University of London.
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Fuel presents
Heather Agyepong
The Body Remembers
Council Chamber
Weds 20 – Thurs 4 Nov 2021
Heather Agyepong's powerful new solo performance The Body Remembers explores how trauma lives in the body, particularly for Black British women across different generations. Through a unique and compelling relationship between the audience and artist, it creates a collective cathartic experience.
Created & performed by multidisciplinary artist & actor Heather Agyepong, The Body Remembers features interviews of Black British women in trauma recovery. The performance is inspired by the therapeutic practice of Authentic Movement with Agyepong as The Mover and the audience as The Witness. Featuring dynamic projections and an immersive soundscape which help the audience to re-discover the power of self-reflection as the start of recovery and healing. Co-created by Imogen Knight (movement) and Gail Babb (dramaturgy), The Body Remembers creates a space for audience and artist to attend to themselves and each other.
Created and performed by Heather Agyepong
Dramaturg and Co-Creator Gail Babb
Movement Director and Co-Creator Imogen Knight
AV Designer Gillian Tan
Sound Designer Donato Wharton
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist Dawn Estefan
The Body Remembers is commissioned and produced by Fuel, with support of Arts Council England, Wellcome Trust, Esmee Fairbairn and the Jerwood New Work Fund.
Dulcie Davy
Dulcie Davy’s Paint & Sip
Location tbc
Sat 23 Oct 2021
Artist Dulcie Davy is back following her recent sold-out event at BAC’s Free Up Festival, with another joy-filled paint and party session complete with art equipment, food, music and cocktails. The evening is for beginners and advanced artists alike, who are given total creative freedom with the choice to paint from the imagination or from the beautiful range of stencils on offer. Encouraging guests to feel relaxed and let the art flow, the evening will include a DJ playing a range of music from alternative RnB to Afrobeats and Bashment.
Proceeds from ticket sales will be introduced back into the community, going towards workshops for young women delivered by Dulcie’s social enterprise, Horizon Retreats.
Rachael Young
PLOUGH
Digital, Film Premiere
Fri 29 Oct – Sun 7 Nov 2021
PLOUGH is an experimental short film created by award-winning artist and writer Rachael Young (NIGHTCLUBBING, OUT), co-directed with Myah Jeffers (Royal Court’s Living Newspaper, Brownton Abbey’s Re(Union)). The debut screen project from theatrical powerhouse Rachael Young explores a vision for the future; unifying identity, mythology and our ancient relationship with nature, to counter the systemic displacement, gentrification and denial of Black, Queer communities.
PLOUGH follows protagonist Shore, a mystic sentient being, an embodiment of historical labour and a call to rest. They seek to decolonise and redistribute ownership and access to the English countryside. By connecting with their diasporic legacy, spanning past, present and future generations, they allow healing through reconnecting to the earth. Their pilgrimage is a rejection of the violent flag-planting claiming of land; a gentle act of decolonisation.
Written and performed by Rachael Young
Co-directed by Rachael Young and Myah Jeffers
Produced by Char Boden
Director of Photography by Jasper Enujuba
Designed by Rūta Irbīte
PLOUGH is a new work co-commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre, Cambridge Junction, HOME and the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts. *
Hofesh Shechter Company
POLITICAL MOTHER: UNPLUGGED
Grand Hall
Weds 3 – Fri 5 Nov 2021
POLITICAL MOTHER: UNPLUGGED is a potent new version of the iconic masterpiece Political Mother by the internationally celebrated choreographer, Hofesh Shechter. Invoking the ferocity and spirit of the original in a new era, this live stage production will draw you into a world of visceral emotion and intense sensations, driven by Shechter’s contagious tribal movement.
Performed by Shechter II, who represent the very best of the next generation of contemporary dance talent from across the globe. They will dance to a bespoke, new recording of Shechter’s music and against a landscape of digitally animated projections in the stunning Grand Hall. The renowned apprentice company return to Battersea Arts Centre following the premiere of POLITICAL MOTHER: The Final Cut, whose explosive short dance film was shot throughout the atmospheric, labyrinthine building entirely during lockdown.
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Jennifer Jackson
Endurance
Members Bar
Weds 3 – Sat 13 Nov 2021
Women choosing to exercise in public spaces continues to be a political act. Jennifer Jackson’s heart-racing new work explores colonial legacies, from Bolivian/ Aymaran warrior Bartolina Sisa to modern day women out-performing men at ultramarathon running, to ask how we carry on when things get really hard?
In a blend of dance, theatre, and an attempt at a sports spectacle, Endurance looks at how we endure, why we endure, and how women can make their innate propensity for endurance work in their favour to tip the balance of power.
Jennifer Jackson is a Latinx British/ Bolivian theatre-maker, movement director and actor who creates work that interrogates the female body in performance, her relationship with the UK, and the duality of living between races and cultures. She was recently the Movement Director for the opening large-scale event Coventry Moves (Coventry City of Culture 2021).
A HOME Theatre Commission. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Originally commissioned by Upstart Theatre as part of Dare Festival 2019
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Heart n Soul
Heart n Soul’s Lockdown Mixtape 2
Digital
Fri 19 Nov 2021
Award-winning creative arts company Heart n Soul are back with a night of music featuring four incredible acts to dance along with at home. Performing brand new music created during lockdown will be the trailblazing, international solo artist Lizzie Emeh, Danielle aka D.M.S., and bands Electric Fire and Too Hot For Candy (who recently raised the roof at Battersea Arts Centre for the finale of its film The Way Out on BBC2).
Danielle (D.M.S.) has recently released her second EP - Lovesheart, reflecting her view of the world. Lizzie Emeh describes her sound as “eclectic, wide ranging with lots of soul”. Electric Fire and Too Hot For Candy both know how to start a party, they mix club classics and a range of styles to great effect including, pop, electro, dance and hip-hop.
Lockdown Mixtape 2 is part of Heart n Soul’s Beautiful Octopus Club season of online events between September – November 2021.
Moving Roots
Rent Party
Grand Hall, London Premiere
Mon 22 Nov 2021
Moving Roots Touring Network brings Jumped Up Theatre’s sold-out production of Rent Party to BAC’s Grand Hall, for one more radically entertaining night. Acclaimed choreographer and director Darren Pritchard (House of Ghetto) has reimagined his 5-star smash hit show, co-created with a cast of uniquely talented artists from Peterborough and Cambridgeshire. They put their working class and LGBTQI+ community centre-stage in a dazzling cabaret of music, dance and spoken word, telling their own stories of identity, body politics and the true costs of austerity Britain.
Moving Roots is a Battersea Arts Centre programme funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation.
Sleeping Trees
Sleeping Beauty & The Beast
Council Chamber, World Premiere
Fri 26 Nov – Thurs 30 Dec 2021
Press day Weds 1 Dec
The creators of Goldilocks & the Three Musketeers return to BAC this Christmas with a brand new panto mash-up; full of original songs, live music and interaction for all ages.
Ever wondered where Pantomime villains go at the end of the story? They go to Goodie-versity: the institute for reformed baddies, where Headmasters Beast and Belle teach them to be good. This Christmas Eve, the baddie class of 2021 are just one day away from their Gooduation when, DISASTER STRIKES… Someone has sent Beast to sleep and he won’t wake up! And without Beast, there can be no Gooduation day!
Sleeping Trees are a multi-award winning trio who create surreal, physical and fast-paced comedy. Their 2020 digitally streamed christmas panto, The Legend Of Moby Dick Whittington, won the Off West End Award for Best Family Show and was recommended by The New York Times.
Director: Kerry Frampton
Writers: Ben Hales, James Dunnell-Smith, John Woodburn, Joshua George Smith
Jonny Woo
Jonny Woo's All Star Christmas Cabaret
Members Bar, World Premiere
Thurs 2 – Sat 11 Dec 2021
One of the UK’s most influential artists in cabaret and alternative variety, Jonny Woo (Jonny Woo's All-Star Brexit Cabaret, Un-Royal Variety) welcomes in this year’s festive season with a raucous Christmas cabaret and sing-a-long. It’s been two years now since the world has fully embraced the Xmas spirit and Woo’s going to make the most of it with the help of Olivier Award-winning composer Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer, The Opera), comedian and singer Sooz Kempner and cabaret artiste Kevin Davies. Party cabaret turns, lipsyncs and saucy strips nestle alongside silly celebrity impressions, original ‘Wrong Songs’ by Richard Thomas and tons of Christmas Carols and pop songs for audiences to holla along to.
Mark Thomas
An Extra Plate
Members Bar
Tues 14 – Thurs 23 Dec 2021
The UK’s best respected left-wing activist and locally based comedian Mark Thomas interrupts the UK tour of his new show 50 Things About Us to raise some radical Christmas spirits at BAC this year. An Extra Plate is part comedy, part pathos and an all-out party with more Christmas cheer than a Laplander’s eggnog hot tub!
Mark tells his Christmas stories, the one where his dad was Father Christmas for the school fete, photographs with chimpanzees up town, the Christmas spent alone, finding dead neighbours on Christmas Day and why celebrating in the most challenging times is a rebellious act.
Mark loves Christmas, the songs, the hymns, the films but most of all the stories of giving and sharing, celebrating and finding hope in the darkest time of year.
Tin Cat Entertainment Ltd – Producer
Joe Douglas - Director
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