Homegrown Festival: Occupy There is an incredible buzz in the building tonight for the grand opening of Battersea Arts Centre’s Homegrown Festival: Occupy, an almost month-long takeover of this lovely old building, by under represented voices. There is nothing quite like the hum of so many excited and engaged youngsters to make you smile and savour the energy and joy they can generate. It’s almost worth going along just to sit and enjoy that feeling, but then again, whilst you ...
Read More »Tag Archives: bac
Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster, Battersea Arts Centre – Review
Only last week I was writing “how adults can instil a sense of adventure into children”. Those words rung even more true tonight as a packed audience watched in pure delight this group of youths perform; a group so clearly inspired by people such as Conrad Murray, one of the men behind BAC Beatbox Academy, the makers and performers of Frankenstein. Conrad acted like the proud father as he introduced not just the show but other members of the academy, ...
Read More »Rendezvous in Bratislava, Battersea Arts Centre – Review
Pros: Rendezvous is inventive and immersive, with catchy songs and great performances. Cons: The comic interludes can be frustrating, as they distract from an otherwise compelling story. Laughter is a powerful response to oppression. Comedy has a long history of speaking truth to power, and cabaret is no different. Czechoslovakia, a country that endured both Nazi and Soviet rule, had plenty of horrors to contend with, particularly for the Jewish population. But for one cabaret writer, plenty to laugh at as ...
Read More »vessel, Battersea Arts Centre – Review
Pros: Let’s talk about an intriguing piece of abstract art Cons: Let’s talk about intense inscrutability Let’s talk about conceptual theatre. This is not a play in any conventional sense, jettisoning character and plot in favour of something almost entirely different. Let’s talk about four women sitting in a row on chairs within vivid yellow circles as though hemmed in by the whirls of an enormous highlighter pen. Let’s talk about reading and repeating lines that all begin “Let’s talk ...
Read More »Missing, Battersea Arts Centre – Review
Pros: An exhilarating performance that barely uses words, but takes your breath away and makes you feel so much. Cons: You have to interpret and feel the show, rather than be given all the answers. In 2015, Battersea Arts Centre’s Grand Hall was engulfed by flames. With perseverance and hard work by the firefighters and theatre team, the front of the building was opened 26 hours later. With the support of over 6,000 people, they raised funds, re-housed shows and ...
Read More »I think you should be listened to, but……
Eva de Valk considers how theatre discusses extremist views.
Read More »Mmm Hmmm, Battersea Arts Centre – Review
An out of this world a cappella production that needs to be seen to be believed!
Read More »Fiction, Battersea Arts Centre – Review
An interesting experience that uses sound in an imaginative way; but the audio-world feels too safe and the storyline is unclear.
Read More »Rove, Battersea Arts Centre – Review
This production is part storytelling, part acoustic folk set and part conversation. Plenty of audience interaction leads to the feeling that this is an intimate, unrepeatable performance.
Read More »Songs of Lear, BAC – Review
Truly remarkable craft, but fails to capture completely.
Read More »