Now in its third year, 2018 DARE Festival at Shoreditch Townhall runs from Thursday 25 until Saturday 27 October 2018, for three fun-packed days of performance, art installations and conversation.
DARE Festival brings together artists and audiences from across London and beyond in an explosion of new and in-development work. This year’s festival explores the theme of power through performance, installation
I interviewed
Artistic Director
Upstart Theatre and DARE Festival
What did you find challenging in directing the festival?
Tom: I think what’s challenging about DARE is also what’s most brilliant about it! We programme a really broad and diverse range of shows, installations and events, all of which are in the really early stages, and we offer a lot of support to all of our artists throughout the making of their shows.
So the challenge for me is about keeping track of all the different projects, helping each one to become as fully realised as possible, and at the same time I’m making my own show as part of this year’s festival. It feels a bit like plugging in different USB sticks into my head each new hour, which is really fun and exciting and also sometimes a little overwhelming!
Why do you think this festival is important at this time?
Tom: This year’s festival is all programmed around the idea of power. We’re living at a moment where lots of us feel powerless – about big changes in the world and in the country, and about our own lives.
So many of the shows in DARE this year are about people stepping up and
There’s a huge amount of work
Above all though, DARE is huge fun! There’s a need at this time for people to be able to have big conversations about important questions, but at the same time to be able to meet one another in a light-hearted space.
How have external events in Britain or the world influenced the themes of the festival?
Tom: Power is a hugely important thread in the world right now: who has it, who doesn’t, and why. Of course, that’s always been the case – but I think we’re really seeing a wave of work this year about power in relation to gender.
We have a load extraordinary shows this year made by female lead artists that might not have been seen before the #MeToo movement.
Similarly, although we haven’t programmed anything specifically about Brexit, my own show Kerensky Boulevard asks what democracy is, and what it means. And Channie B’s show Surge deals with police brutality in a really compelling, humane way.
If there’s a thread to the festival this year, it’s really about openness, generosity and listening to one another.
This is Dare festival’s 3rd year – why is it so successful?
Tom: I think the thing that makes DARE special is that it’s all about creating a supportive community – among the artists, but between artists and audiences.
DARE audiences know that they’re seeing something that’s just in the process of being born – there’s a joy and a gentleness to that experience, and they get to chat with the artists in the bar
For artists, we run a big development programme in which all of the lead artists on each show meet throughout the making process. And we also have a great party at the end of the festival in which artists and audiences get up and perform something new and entirely unexpected!
Finally, how does this years’ festival differ from previous years?
Tom: It’s bigger! We’ve moved from two days last year to three days this year … We’ve got a practical workshop as well as all the performances and talks. I’ve been really proud of all the DARE lineups but I think the breadth of this year’s programme is extraordinary.
For more information visit Upstart Theatre website To book visit Shoreditch Townhall Website.
