LIFT Festival 2018: From glow-in-the-dark pigeons to political parties, 8 shows not to miss

‘London is open’ has become the capital’s unofficial motto - and one arts festival encapsulates that ethos more than any.

LIFT Festival - which stands for London International Festival of Theatre - invites artists and companies from all over the world to create boundary-pushing work for venues across the city.

It happens every two years at the start of summer, and a lot has changed since the last LIFT Festival kicked off in June 2016 (Brexit and Donald Trump to name just two.)

This year it returns with a packed programme that speaks directly to political issues around the world, both today and throughout history.

Artists hail from America to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and there are even a gang of glow-in-the-dark pigeons getting in on the action.

If you want to know what not to miss at this year’s LIFT, read on for our highlights.

Fly By Night

This intriguing show could be the first time you use the words ‘pigeons’ and ‘beauty’ in the same sentence. The slightly maligned avian creatures - 1500 of them in total - will be fitted with LED lights and then released together, creating an extraordinary night time spectacle. It’s the work of American artist Duke Riley, who previously showed the work in New York; this year, he’s reimagined it for London’s Thamesmead.

June 21-23, East Thamesmead

Notes From the Field

Barack Obama said of Anna Deavere Smith that she “helps us understand what it means to be human”. High praise indeed. Her seminal verbatim work Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 was revived at the Gate Theatre earlier this year; now Londoners have the chance to see her perform a brand new work herself. For her latest show, she spoke to over 250 people to examine how young people of colour are pushed from poverty to prison, resulting in a lost generation.

June 13-24, Royal Court Theatre

In Search of Dinozard

A score that includes Mozart’s Requiem, Jimi Hendrix’s guitar riffs, the tap of a typewriter and live vocals from South African performer Hlengiwe Lushaba is more than enough to intrigue us. Faustin Linyekula explores the history of the Congo through movement and music, bringing together politics and poetry.

June 15-16, The Place

Taylor Mac: A 24-Decade History of Popular Music

If you haven’t heard of Taylor Mac, you’ll certainly want to after reading some of the superlatives around this show. Described as music, art, activism and mass ritual, it features a 24-piece orchestra and guests from the local London community. Expect something between a party and a political awakening.

June 28-30, Barbican Centre

Small Wonders

Punchdrunk returned in their characteristic mysterious style earlier this year with Kaberoi, a show that audience members could only experience in pairs. Their latest show has another catch: adults must be accompanied by children. It’s an interactive experience designed for 5-11 year olds and their families, in which they’ll go to the kind-sounding Nanny Lacey’s flat in Tottenham and look at her life history through a collection of objects.

June 2 - July 13, Bernie Grant Arts Centre

Creation (Pictures for Dorian)

British and German collective Gob Squad return to LIFT for the third time with a new show that asks us all to get in touch with our inner Dorian Gray. The group will be joined on stage by performers who are both older and younger than them, looking at our continued obsession with beauty.

June 4-7, Southbank Centre

Mercenary

Performance-maker and footballer aren’t two occupations that normally go side by side, but that’s what Ahilan Ratnamohan does. He travelled the world to try and find out what’s really going on in the build-up to Qatar hosting the World Cup in 2022. You won’t have seen anything like this before - Ratnamohan fuses football and dance, and performs with Egyptian-Italian-American musician Mutamassik - and it will offer a different view on the headlines you’ve read so far.

June 21-23, Battersea Arts Centre

East Wall

Hofesh Shechter joins forces with four young choreographers direct over 150 dancers and musicians at the glorious location of the Tower of London. It promises to mash up the older and new, from grime to gospel, and is the first big art event to take place there since the incredibly popular 2014 ceramic poppy installation.

July 18-22, Tower of London

LIFT Festival runs from May 26 - July 22. The full programme can be found at liftfestival.com