Voila! Europe Theatre Festival and The Cockpit present: Voila! Europe 2021 London’s festival of European theatre returns with hybrid festival of online, interactive and in-person performances celebrating multidisciplinary work from across the continent |
This Autumn, Voila! Europe 2021 will return both online and in-person to The Cockpit with their eclectic programme of some of the most exciting independent artists from across Europe. For the ninth year running, the festival which spans theatre, cabaret, mime, and digital performance will celebrate the work of London-based companies as well as those further afield with a programme which will be available to enjoy worldwide. Whilst international travel remains uncertain for so many, Voila! Europe 2021 will once again offer a glimpse into the richly diverse theatre on offer internationally. The 2021 festival, although not directly themed around the pandemic, covers relevant issues ranging from loneliness and identity, through to burnout and our relationships with where we call home.
This year’s programme welcomes artists from Hungary, Austria, France, Belarus, Finland, Germany, Turkey, Italy and Czech Republic as well as further afield from countries including Canada, Thailand and Zimbabwe. On stage highlights include Ladder Art Company’s playful UK debut, Awakening, in collaboration with the Hungarian Culture Centre and set in a magical world brought to life by aeralists. Meanwhile, Unforgettable Girl explores injustice from the point of view of a Thai mail-order bride in a biting satire from Created a Monster, interweaving movement, text and clowning. Returning to the stage, The Cockpit’s monthly scratch night Theatre in the Pound will present a Voila! Europe special in November, with four works in progress by emerging artists.
Meanwhile, online highlights include documentary play I AM, based on real childhood stories from Belarus. Formerly a National Theatre of Belarus until the political crisis of 2020, the newly-independent Kupałaŭcy make their UK debut with a child’s view of life behind the iron curtain. Playing with form, Deserted Shores // Negative Photographs combines video, sound, performance and online 3-D installation to create an unconventional remote viewing experience, while reflecting on the soul of the pandemic era.
Sharlit Deyzac & Amy Clare Tasker, directors, Voila! Europe said, “Voila! Europe is all about opening a trusted portal to unique cross-cultural encounters. This year, we are delighted to return to on-stage performances at The Cockpit, while also building on the recent advancements in virtual theatre. Audiences can enjoy the festival at the theatre in London, or online from home - wherever home may be.”
Dave Wybrow, director, The Cockpit "Our best future will depend upon our ability to make the most unlikely connections. The cross-border challenges we face require deepening cooperation, not retreating behind walls. Which is why The Cockpit continues to help produce and support Voila! Europe. Not because it brings together a glossy selection of designer theatre for an elite market, but because it brings together people who have something to say and are driven to say it before a live, engaged audience. Not because they all speak the same language and can take a good reception for granted, but specifically because they don't."
Přemysl Pela, Director, Czech Centre London said “The impeccable resilience of the Voila Festival and its contribution to post-pandemic theatre recovery in London and the UK is absolute. The Czech Centre is pleased to partner with the Festival to foster and expand its international reach, by showcasing a stunning and sensuous audioplay, You in My House, by the National Theatre in Prague.”
Máté Vincze, director, Hungarian Cultural Centre London said “In these uncertain times, one thing is certain: Voila! Europe brings the best up-and-coming, innovative European theatre to London, guaranteed by the festival team’s exceptional curatorial work. Following last year’s award-winning digital performance by k2 Theater, we are looking forward to welcoming Ladder Art Company’s magical and mesmerizing show Awakening to the world’s performing arts capital."
Supported by United Colleges Group & The Cockpit, The Hungarian Cultural Centre London, The Czech Centre, London, and EUNIC (EU National Institutes for Culture). Voila! Europe is part of the European Festivals Association label. Some productions in the 2021 festival are supported by Arts Council England.
Listings information
15th November – 21st November
The Cockpit, Gateforth St, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH and online at www.voilafestival.co.uk
Tickets £5 - 15
ON STAGE AT THE COCKPIT
Awakening
Ladder Art Company
Hungary, Supported by the Hungarian Cultural Centre, London
With an aerial rope and several fairies, two characters search for their essential selves in a never-ending process of growing up. In their world, magic doesn’t require anything but a pillow, and if it’s too dark, you light up the sky with the stars that you draw with your own fingers. Ladder Art Company makes their UK debut, following performances in Slovakia, Norway, Romania, Turkey, and Hungary.
60 minutes | No spoken language | Ages 8+
Transit
Hunhu Productions
Hungary / UK / Zimbabwe
Transit follows the stories of displaced voices in search of a place to call home. From Hungary to Harare heat to the bustle of London city streets. Join Zuva and Hajnal on a sensorial journey through memories and myth created by live musicians, poetry and movement.
60 minutes | In English with Shona & Hungarian | Ages 14+
Fear Eats Life
Strangers Like Me Collective
Austria / Canada / France / Ireland / UK
Mary is being consumed by Fear, then she meets Leon who just doesn’t get it. As they get to know each other, Mary dares to take the next step, when Fear suddenly tears Leon apart. How will the story end? In this cheerful interactive cabaret, that’s up to the audience to decide.
60 minutes | In English with French, German & Japanese | Ages 18+
Unforgettable Girl
Created a Monster & Elisabeth Gunawan
Thailand / UK
Money can’t buy love, but with £19.99/month, you can have Vaccine—a mail-order bride delivered straight from [stereotype composites of SE Asia]. She’ll cure you of the deadlier pandemic that’s plagued us for longer: loneliness. Created a Monster returns to Voila! Europe with this biting satire infused with movement, text, neo-bouffon and dark clown.
55 minutes | In English with Thai | Ages 14+
Murder Mystery
FBI: French British Improvisation
France / UK
A handful of strangers, a closed space. They get acquainted and all seems well... until one of them dies! They are all suspects but who did it?! and why!? Neither the audience nor the actors will know until the very end of this improvised WhoDunnit show...
90 minutes plus interval | In French | Ages 10+
Withered Optimism
OftheJackel
UK
Withered Optimism is a tender comic ode to the tyranny of work. The show explores the eroded boundary between work and leisure and interrogates the constant connectivity that has replaced it. Its put-upon protagonist dreams of a simpler life, but is stretched to breaking point by the corporate world. The show is accessible for hearing and non-hearing audiences
55 minutes | No spoken language | Ages 12+
Theatre in the Pound
Live in the Theatre
The Cockpit’s monthly scratch night Theatre in the Pound presents a Voila! Europe special in November, with four works in progress by Roxane Burges, Rebecca Saffir, Jaka Škapin, and The Not-God Complex. Be the first to see these brand new performances, new translations, new ideas - and give your feedback in an informal Q&A with the artists. Tickets are only £1 to join us live in the theatre.
120 minutes | In English with other languages | Ages 14+
ONLINE
WATCH PARTY & DISCUSSION
Join us on Zoom for a live watch party of the pre-recorded show, followed by a discussion with the artists and fellow audience members. Your ticket also gives you on-demand access to watch the show & recorded discussion, from 24 hours after the watch party until 1 December.
I AM
Kupałaŭcy Independent Theatre Group
Belarus
Based on real childhood stories from Belarus, I AM is a documentary play about the beautiful and mysterious time that never returns, but defines us and stays with us forever. Formerly a National Theatre of Belarus until the political crisis of 2020, the newly-independent Kupałaŭcy make their UK debut with a child’s view of life behind the iron curtain.
In Belarusian with English subtitles | On demand from 18 Nov until 1 Dec | 85 minutes + post-show discussion
Ages 16+
RadioLove
Studio Total
Finland / Germany
RadioLove is awake while you are asleep. It plays what you dream of. It is where radio host Janis collects the stories of lonely people. On stage, dreams become images, reality meets radio ether, and callers become part of Janis’ life. Studio Total makes their UK debut with this absurd show inspired by legendary filmmakers Fassbinder, Kaurismäki and Lynch.
In German with English subtitles | On demand from 19 Nov until 1 Dec | 70 minutes + post-show discussion Ages 14+
Deserted Shores // Negative Photographs
GalataPerform
Turkey
A woman imagines a family gathering that never happened, following a tragedy connected to the uneasy political atmosphere of the 90s in Turkey. Video, sound, performance and online 3-D installation create an unconventional remote viewing experience, while reflecting on the soul of the pandemic era.
In Turkish with English subtitles
On demand from 19 Nov until 1 Dec | 40 minutes + 3-D installation + post-show discussion | Ages 16+
ONLINE INTERACTIVE
These live interactive shows make creative use of Zoom and other digital platforms, bringing together the performers and audience in real time online.
Are you Done? [ _Solitude_ Is _Bliss_ Part 1A]
Francasixiə
Italy / UK
Who the hell is Siri to tell you what to do? Francasixiə imagines a deeper relationship with the obscure technologies behind voice assistants, by giving the audience a chance to programme the commands. Are you done? is an online intermedial performance consisting of different tasks, including a pre-show questionnaire and a performative live interview with a synthetic voice, to explore the idea of ethical digital companionship and solitude in the lockdown era.
In English with captioning available | Live online performance20 Nov at 5:30pm | 25 minutes + discussion
Ages 12+
Going Home
Scallabouche Theatre Company
Hungary
An English actor considers going “home” after 24 years in Budapest. A Hungarian-Algerian actress thinks she should have left years ago. The actors are put through an absurd audition, creating a dynamic metaphor for identification and belonging. Join in live online, and influence the action by choosing the stories, atmospheres, and music for this interactive 3-camera Zoom show.
In English with Hungarian | 55 minutes | Ages 14+
YOU IN MY HOUSE
National Theatre in Prague
Czech Republic, supported by the Czech Centre, London
An audio-performance for two spectators and a voice. Who is the visitor and who is the host? Do you really know the place you live in? Who is the voice? Can he understand the life that’s lived there? Invite a partner and press play, to visit your apartment anew.
In English or Czech | 55 minutes | Ages 12+
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