This week saw the announcement of the new phase of BBC Arts and Arts Council England partnership, Performance Live.
The initiative was launched in October last year when Kate Tempest's performance of Let Them Eat Chaos at south London’s Rivoli Ballroom was shown on BBC Two.
Battersea Arts Centre was behind that programme and now takes a pivotal role going forward as strand producer.
Eight new commissions and four commissions-in-development make up their artist-led strand of television programmes which will be broadcast for Saturday night primetime viewing on BBC Two during this year and next.
Battersea Arts Centre will be producing two programmes and supporting and mentoring commissioned artists.
David Jubb, artistic director and CEO of Battersea Arts Centre, said, “live performance for TV has too often been sanitised in recent decades. I hope that Performance Live brings back risk-taking and adventure to mainstream television audiences and kick-starts a debate about how we further decentralise the means of production and hand over the reins to independent artists.”
Performance Live Commissions are:
- Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere by Young Vic with Paul Mason (London)
- Flood: To The Sea by Slung Low for Hull UK City of Culture 2017 (Hull)
- Get A Round by Eggs Collective (Manchester)
- You Can’t Go Back by Ross Sutherland & Loop Projects Ltd. (Essex)
- I told my mum I was going on an R.E. trip… by 20 Stories High & Contact (Liverpool / Manchester)
- Winged Bull in the Elephant Case by Studio Wayne McGregor & Robin Friend (North Wales/London)
- Taxi Tales by Tamasha & Ishy Din (Middlesbrough / London)
- East Wall by East London Dance, Hofesh Shechter Company, Historic Royal Palaces, LIFT & Illuminations (London)
Performance Live Commissions-in-Development are The Ruins of Empires Akala (London) and Me, My Mouth and I Touretteshero (London). Further commissions are currently in development with Manchester International Festival and Daniel Kitson, who is working on an idea with Battersea Arts Centre.