This November sees London host the Voila! Europe Festival for its fifth year. Of course, staging a festival of European theatre has become more of a political statement since June 2016, and Voila! calls itself a “non Brexit-fearing festival whose mission is to bust the barriers of language and showcase plays from around Europe & the UK to the multi-national audiences of London.” In reaction to this, perhaps, this is the first year the festival has renamed itself Voila! Europe, broadening its scope from being a Francophone festival to one of all languages spoken on the continent.
The festival takes place from the 8th – 18th November, and features performances at the Cockpit Theatre, the Etcetera Theatre and the Applecart Theatre. Some productions are performed in multiple languages, alternating on different nights. Others are in translation, or are performed in their native language.
Producer Olivia Coxhead, for Chemistry Theatre, says of the festival “Voila! Europe is a great platform for successful European artists and companies to bring new work to London. It’s really hard for small organisations to make meaningful international links, and this festival provides a break through opportunity for them to stage their work in the UK.”
Dance-puppetry performance inspired by Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis, examining female sexuality, queer identity and homophobia. Two young women dance together in a nightclub which is the target of a homophobic terror attack.
What Does Stuff Do? is a lecture-style performance in which Robin strives to understand the ever-unfolding relationships between people and stuff, and to help fill in the space between art and science. Juggling, physical comedy and almost-philosophy combine.
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