Our doors may be closed at the moment, but you can still journey around our building in our brand new film, The Way Out.
Watch it now on BBC iPlayer, as part of #CultureInQuarantine
In a surreal, theatrical adventure, a young person escapes into a seemingly empty building at night and meets a mysterious guide who offers them an alternative way out…
Filmed in one continuous take, The Way Out is an immersive journey through a labyrinth of rooms and corridors. Follow actor and comedian Omid Djalili (His Dark Materials, The Infidel) as your enigmatic guide, and join Bláithín Mac Gabhann (Penance, Sally Rooney’s Normal People) as the Young Person on a journey of discovery. Look out for performances from some of the most exciting and diverse artists working in the UK today: Lucy McCormick, Caleb Femi, Botis Seva, Le Gateau Chocolat, The Cocoa Butter Club, Sanah Ahsan and Too Hot For Candy.
BAFTA-nominated Director Suri Krishnamma uses a single camera to create the feel of immersive theatrical performance. Using the latest technology to enable a single 42 minute take, The Way Out invites you on a journey of surprise and unexpected discovery, revealing stories that move, provoke and entertain.
The Way Out gave us an amazing opportunity to work with groundbreaking artists and shows the true breadth of theatre and performance in the UK. We hope the film will also give viewers a chance to virtually explore our building. Our long, proud, radical history, both as a Town Hall and as an arts venue with a track record of pushing the boundaries of performance, coupled with strong belief in the power of creativity – it is a fitting backdrop to a film that also pushes boundaries in terms of form and content.
The Way Out is the latest programme in Performance Live – bringing groundbreaking performance to your TV screen in a partnership between Battersea Arts Centre, BBC Arts and Arts Council England. You can now watch the entire Performance Live box set of 13 films on BBC iPlayer, as part of #CultureInQuarantine. The collection features work created by Kate Tempest; Young Vic + Paul Mason; Slung Low; Eggs Collective; Ross Sutherland; 20 Stories High + Contact Theatre Manchester; Wayne McGregor Studio + Robin Friend; Akala; Touretteshero; Tamasha; Hofesh Shechter; Alexander Zeldin + National Theatre.
The Way Out is directed and co-written by Suri Krishnamma and produced by Battersea Arts Centre, in partnership with Arts Council England and BBC Arts.