Kate Tempest kicks off the first episode of Performance Live this Saturday 1 October – an ambitious new series that will bring some of the most innovative theatre, dance, comedy and spoken word to BBC television over the next two years.
Produced by Battersea Arts Centre and recorded live at the Rivoli Ballroom in her neighborhood of Brockley, Kate hosts a night of poetry that includes her epic new musical story, Let Them Eat Chaos, as well as bite-sized performances from her favourite poets – Deanna Rodger, David J Pugilist and Isaiah Hull – offering reflections on life in contemporary Britain.
Fusing hip-hop, poetry and theatre, Let Them Eat Chaos is set in the early hours of one morning and traces the lives of seven people living on a south London street, who all find themselves awake at 4:18am.
Performance Live will see artists and arts organisations from around the country create and produce new work, seeking to democratise arts and culture on television. A collaboration between BBC Arts, Arts Council England and Battersea Arts Centre, it follows the success of last year’s Live From The Television Centre, broadcast on BBC Four.
Our artistic director David Jubb explains more about the series in the video below.
Watch Performance Live: Kate Tempest from the comfort of your own home, on BBC Two, 1 Oct at 10pm #PerformanceLive