Arcola Theatre announces 2018 Creative/Disruption Festival

Arcola Theatre has announced a festival of productions celebrating the people and diversity of East London.

Creative/Disruption 18, which features twelve productions alongside special events including readings and club nights, will light up Arcola for 7 weeks from 26 February to 14 April 2018.

Women’s, LGBTQ, Turkish, youth, 50+ and men’s mental health groups – assembled and supported by Arcola – will stage original devised work and new takes on classic plays.

Arcola’s Participation Manager Bec Martin-Williams said: “There are many underrepresented stories and people on our screens and stages. Women make up 51% of the population and yet play only 33% of roles on British stages. Older people are often eschewed, queer stories told by queer voices are lacking, men’s mental health issues are still taboo both on stage and in society and Turkish stories are almost non-existent, despite a high representation in the East London population. Creative/Disruption 18 is a festival of work that includes all these groups and more.”

Each year Arcola’s Participation department creates over 11,000 opportunities for the people of Hackney, East and North East London to participate in the arts.

Arcola’s Artistic Director Mehmet Ergen said: “At Arcola Theatre we stage and cherish stories from all over the world. But we do that from our building in Dalston Junction – at the centre of a vibrant, multicultural community here in London. I’m proud that we’re putting that community centre stage in the Creative/Disruption festival, involving a wide range of people whose experiences can spark vital and exciting conversations.”

All tickets are £12 (£10 concessions) or less.