LIFT is supporting an emerging generation of theatre artists from the Middle East who are making work within the context of the tumultuous events sweeping across the region.  As part of a six-year cycle of commissions and presentations.

Jarideh - A Secret Encounter

13 July 2011 - 15 July 2011 ICA

A secretive and suspicious one on one encounter lasting 30 minutes and starting in the ICA bar with Tania El Khoury, where both you and the performer become partners in crime. Inspired by crime films, the real life stories of the glamorous female agents used the Lebanese resistance and our own cultural suspicions; Jarideh (meaning newspaper) is an encounter that will stay with you long after the performance is over.  Tania El Khoury creates immersive performances in sites ranging from the great hall at the British Museum to an old church in Beirut once used as a military base during the civil war and is interested in confessional theatre, intimate and physical encounters and the political and the autobiographical.

"Deeply unsettling, ridiculously exciting and right on the cutting edge." The Times

On the Importance of Being an Arab

14 July 2011 - 15 July 2011 ICA

Ahmed Al Attar is a leading figure in independent theatre in Cairo and director of the SEE Foundation. His one-man performance, On The Importance of Being an Arab, challenges the complex interplay between reality, perception and interpretation. Unpredictable and changing with each performance, and drawn from his personal archive of love letters, official documents and his Revolution Diaries detailing recent events in Tahrir Square, it offers a profound refusal to define and reveal identity.

Less interested in telling the personal story of his life under the banner of Arabic identity, El Attar is more interested exposing the political and social influences on the artistic process.

An interview between Mark Ball and Ahmed can be viewed here.

Culture Now: Mark Ball

15 July 2011 ICA

A discussion led by our own Artistic Director Mark Ball on the link between art and politics in the Arab world, and the impact of the recent uprisings.  On the panel will be:

Co-chairing with Mark is Deborah Shaw, Director of The World Shakespeare Festival who present a significant element of new work from the Arab world, contributing to the discussion with her considerable knowledge of Arab theatre.

Also on the panel will be Kuwaiti writer, director and founder of Zaoum Theatre Sulayman Al Bassam along side Egyptian theatre-maker and director Ahmed El Attar who's solo show On the Importance of Being an Arab will be presented by LIFT at the ICA on July 14th and 15th as part of Shubbak.

Gulf Stage: You... Me... The Human…

 

15 July 2011 ICA - Free, booking required

I'll start drawing again. I'll draw… the life that you don't want to see. But this time I'll draw in the sky because you can't reach it. I'll draw in the sea because it's so deep… I'll keep drawing and drawing even after all of you leave this hall.

What kind of theatre are young artists in the Arab world making? How are they voicing their hopes, thoughts and concerns? Merging Middle Eastern art and UK innovation, Gulf Stage is a unique digital project conceived by the British Council that encourages connections and conversations between young artists and audiences. The project has filmed a series of performances by emerging Gulf theatre companies and made them available to the world, for free.

You... Me... The Human... is the UK premiere screening of an award-winning theatre production from Qatar. It draws together a series of stories that explore human conflict, artistic freedom and the struggle to assert one’s individual identity. This event includes a behind-the-scenes documentary and a panel discussion with Gulf Stage’s creative team.

Gives British theatre an invaluable opportunity to look outwards - The Guardian on Gulf Stage

LIFT presents Gulf Stage in partnership with the British Council, Digital Theatre, the Ministry of Culture Qatar, Arts and Heritage, and the Qatar Foundation.

 

If you have attended one of our events please fill out a quick online evaluation here.

LIFT have been supported throughout this programme by our Hotel Sponsor Grange Hotels.

LIFT are also grateful for support from Amnesty International who we are proud to be affiliated with.