The countdown begins for UK’s capital to welcome a new burst of worldwide talent taking place at the very heart of the city’s theatreland. Guillermo Nazara chats with the man behind its exciting programming, to learn all the fun facts about this upcoming edition based on the power of multinational fusion.
How does it feel to be bringing back the festival on your second time as Artistic Director?
Wonderful! I am super excited for London audiences to see this line up of amazing artists in such a great range of venues – everything from Southbank Centre to the Old Bailey Criminal Court.
What’s been your journey during the first edition and into the second? Has the festival allowed you to learn or evolve in any way, from an artistic point of view?
My LIFT journey got off to a strange start. When Covid hit, we had to cancel my first festival, the 2020 edition and I had my first festival in 2022 – so on a personal note it’s very satisfying to be launching my second full programme. The first festival was full of projects where you really could feel that response to the pandemic – we had shows in shopping malls and we installed a beach at the Albany Theatre for Sun & Sea.
This year’s line up feels like it’s responding to ideas around justice, how personal stories can be epic myths for us to think on and fantasies about the future. Many of the partnerships and collaborations that started as I began my journey with LIFT are now being fully realised which is very fulfilling. As ever, we get to challenge the idea of what theatre and performance can be and make sure we’re giving audiences shows a valuable experience on their night out. It’s a festival that will catch your breath, spark your mind and rev your imagination. There’s adrenaline too. It’s international theatre for your gut! Can you tell I am excited for it to start?
This new instalment will connect London-based creatives with a wide range of cultures. What led you to decide upon those countries in particular?
It’s a festival full of divergent perspectives and complex cultural conversations. Each of the LIFT 2024 artists are toppling the status quo and smashing down barriers. We have a commitment at LIFT to bringing artists from the Global South to London – and amazing artists like Nadia Beugré, Marlene Monteiro Freitas and Janaina Leite each bring their own distinct perspectives and expertise that will be fresh for our city.
From new perspectives on Shakespeare’s plays to exploration of international cuisine. How versatile is this festival going to be?
It just couldn’t be more varied. It is a smorgasbord of cultural treats that in playful, thoughtful, challenging and outrageous ways will bring ideas from around the world to London audiences. I love that the festival can champion international perspectives, amplify lesser heard voices and be a place that can hold diverse experiences and points of view.
How important do you think it is for artists to feed from other cultural backgrounds?
Essential. Vital. Magic. For this edition of lift we have been focussing on creating opportunities for Londoners to work with international artists in dynamic collaborations – from building shows from the ground up to exploring concept touring models between here and abroad that look at international collaboration with little to no travel.
We are making some really exciting collaborations happen between international artists and Londoners – shows like Bat Night Market which is a Taiwanese-British collab or The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women which brings together two incredible Brazilian directors with the ensemble from Clean Break Theatre. Through these cultural exchanges we genuinely hope that artists will not only be able to develop their own practice but also come away with a broader and fuller perspective on the world.
What’s been the process of devising and selecting this year’s offer?
We start more than two years out. It’s a lot of travelling, a lot of talking, securing partners and even more hard work. LIFT 2024 is the result of the care, determination and expertise of a lot of incredible people, and I am in awe of our amazing team, crew, trustees and volunteers past and present who have made it all possible!
Has this process presented any particular challenges?
We are making this festival during a really complex global moment, amidst a climate crisis, a cost of living crisis and war and turmoil in a number of global regions. Our aim and job is to create a festival that not only brings joy and fun to audiences and artists but also does so in a way that is sensitive and supportive to everyone involved. It is not always easy but it is always worth the effort.
Are there any highlights in this year’s programme you would like to talk about?
As a Canadian, I have to mention cultural provocateur Cliff Cardinal’s amazing The Land Acknowledgement Or As You Like It. Cliff is a young, Indigenous playwright and actor of Cree and Lakota heritage. He’s acclaimed for his willingness to deal with raw emotions and difficult subject matter. He’s devilishly funny and such a deep thinker. The result here is a devastating yet laugh-out-loud examination of cultural reconciliation and the potential emptiness of political correctness.. In Canada, land acknowledgements are meant to recognise the Indigenous people who, pre-colonialism, lived on the land where an event is happening. They’re meant to be meaningful ways to reconcile colonial harms. They’re often very empty and sound a lot like someone doing a pre-flight announcement. Cliff takes us through this all and it’s simply brilliant.
If you fancy dialogue and exchange, come see Democracy From Where I Stand – a line up of provocations about democracy from the point of view of leading women from London, Mumbai and Lagos. There’ll be everything from comedian Rosie Holt (you know her parodies of Tory MPs on social media), London historian Dr Michelle Johanson to Nigerian poet Lola Shoneyin – even a brand new film from iconic author Margaret Atwood.
There are so many other highlights of course – i encourage people to take a leap of faith and go and see as much as they can.
Apart from its multiculturalism, what do you think that defines this year’s edition?
In this year’s festival the personal becomes epic. Personal accounts of justice, exile and protest take on mythic proportions through incredible storytelling. The festival also will show us that play is not a distraction – there are hidden depths beneath surface level fun and humour.
Why come see this new edition of LIFT?
For the sheer adventure of it all. There is literally something for everyone!
The London International Theatre Festival will take place from 5 June to 27 July. Tickets and further information are available on the following link.