Featuring more than 20 “electrifying” performances from ten countries, Birmingham’s BE FESTIVAL offers “an adventurous programme celebrating all that’s great about Europe”.
The week-long festival brings together “daring and unforgettable” new theatre, dance and circus performances from Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany and Slovenia.
It takes place in the set construction workshops at Birmingham REP and other locations in the city. Each night features four short performances and an interval dinner where audiences and artists can mingle and eat together.
Miguel Oyarzun, BE FESTIVAL co-director, said, “it’s really timely that this year’s festival is taking place at the same time as British people vote in the European referendum—we'll be exploring what it means to be a European citizen and we want to encourage audiences to learn from other cultures as well as having a great night out."
Co-director Isla Aguilar added, “Birmingham is such a creative city that embraces art and cultures, whatever their origin. We’re proud to be working with some of the newest and most exciting artists and performers from across Europe. It promises to be a truly exciting and vibrant festival.”
Two previous BE FESTIVAL first prize winners return with their latest shows. Inspired by Samuel Beckett’s philosophy on the benefits of failure—fail and then fail better—Teatro Sotterraneo’s show, Reload, evolves through a series of stage interruptions. TiDA returns with a full-length version of its show Quintetto alongside a new piece that follows the evolution of a woman, Piccole Donne (Little Women).
In a nod to the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Italian company CollettivO CineticO “stages a rollercoaster of drama with audience members competing to play Hamlet”.
BE FESTIVAL runs from Tuesday 21 until Saturday 25 June.