Greenwich and Docklands International Festival turns 20


In 1996, the historic riverside town of Greenwich hosted the first Greenwich and Docklands International Festival. Twenty years on, the south London performing arts extravaganza is more fresh and exciting than ever. "There's a growing appetite for outdoor cultural experiences in London," says founder Bradley Hemming. "Twenty years ago it was hard to find somewhere to sit outside and have a glass of wine. Even Trafalgar Square had a huge main road running through it. But since then we've become hungry for experiences in public spaces, and the festival has captured the zeitgest." For Hemming, there's something liberating about taking arts into the open air: "When you're outdoors, you can do all sorts of surprising things - you can come up behind the audience, and make them see the city in new ways. It's got a very informal style to it, too. You're not sat in a dark room trying not to cough! You're very aware of other people around you, and that's very exciting." This year's festival programme is a showcase for some thrilling international work, including Silence, a world premiere by Polish company Teatr Biuro Podróży that explores the impact of war on refugees and uses projections, puppetry and fire to light up the night sky. Another highlight is The People Build, an interactive event masterminded by French artist Olivier Grossetête that will get the audience creating their own architecture from hundreds of cardboard boxes. "Often with outdoor festivals the default position is programming [existing] work," says Hemming, "but we've been very keen to support British artists to make homegrown work, too." Continental Europe's sunnier climes means that there's a longer, stronger tradition of arts in the outdoors, but UK artists are quickly learning to exploit its potential. One example of this was the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony, which Hemming masterminded. "It was a game changer for the Paralympics because it was the first one to bring in a large number of deaf and disabled performers," he says. "We ran training courses where they learnt circus and performance skills. When they all came together, it created something emotional and visceral, there was a real sense of the power of what deaf and disabled people can do." The success of the showcase has bolstered Hemming's ambition for the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival to become a spectacle on a massive scale. "[We're] trying to work with more locations than ever before," he explains. "We're really taking over Greenwich town centre, and to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Queen's House, we're trying to make that extraordinary building surprising and amazing." Hemming himself will also direct The House, a hi-tech performance featuring the rich vocal talents of Holby City star Sharon D Clarke, plus dance, video projection and pyrotechnics. There's only one potential problem...what if it rains? After 20 years at the helm, however, Hemming has it under control. "You have to become very adept at dealing with the weather," he says. "But we've got a plan." The Greenwich and Docklands festival runs from 24th June to 2nd July. To find out more and book tickets, visit http://www.festival.org/

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