Battersea Arts Centre are back with a celebratory Phoenix Season.
On 13 March 2015, a fire destroyed our Grand Hall. This summer, we throw open our doors with a celebratory Phoenix Season for 2018.
The Phoenix Season will feature new shows and old favourites by Bryony Kimmings, Gecko, the National Theatre of Scotland, Lekan Lawal, Dead Centre, Little Bulb Theatre, BAC Beatbox Academy, Daniel Kitson and others. The Grand Hall will be alive with activity once more with over 100 performances, 3 new commissions, 5 premieres and 2 BAC co-productions.
The run of Gecko’s Missing (6-15 Sep) was interrupted by the fire in 2015 and so it will be the first theatre show of the Phoenix Season as the company returns to Battersea to complete its run in the reborn Grand Hall. The National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Adam (18-29 Sep) tells the remarkable true story of a young Egyptian trans man and Bryony Kimmings returns with her first solo show, I’m A Phoenix, Bitch (3-20 Oct), in nearly a decade.
The Grand Hall will once again host large music gigs, with the celebration of the BAC Beatbox Academy’s 10th birthday, the UK Beatbox Championships (26-27 Oct) and IAMNEXT (25 Oct), an almighty rave featuring the UK’s best new urban music.
The Phoenix Season celebrates our role as a developer of inventive artists and as a centre for the entire community. It’s building-wide and offers a platform to artists and leaders of the future: inspiring people to take creative risks to shape the future.
The season includes a takeover by Lekan, our Up Next Artistic Director, the launch of the new Scratch Hub – a co-working community for 150 creatives and start-ups, the launch of a national and international Co-Creating Change network, and 10 special Phoenix Events to celebrate the public’s generous response to the Grand Hall fire.
There are over 2,000 tickets for Grand Hall shows and our Christmas show, Return to Elm House (1-30 Dec), available for £1. These will be targeted at people with low incomes through our Local Roots programme with Wandsworth and Lambeth voluntary groups.
We are also launching a new Phoenix Award to offer talented artists the opportunity to develop their work and present it to larger audiences – an opportunity afforded by the re-opening of the Grand Hall.
Throughout the Phoenix Season, we will be working towards becoming a Relaxed Venue – a new initiative that builds on the principles of Relaxed Performances, which are designed to extend a warm welcome to people who might find it hard to follow the conventions of theatre etiquette.
David Jubb, Artistic Director and CEO said:
“We are so grateful to everyone who has offered their time, advice and support over the last three years. Without it, the Grand and Lower Halls simply would not be reopening. We hope the Phoenix Season is a true celebration of people’s determination and creativity, a kaleidoscope which includes rousing shows to life-changing social change programmes. It has been a privilege to work with so many inspiring people over the last three years who have super-charged our mission to take creative risks to shape the future. In the midst of uncertain and often challenging times for many communities in London and beyond, we hope the Phoenix Season will be a reason for tens of thousands of people to come together, celebrate, rise up and make a difference.”