The theatre festival returns to bring 110 shows to London to champion diverse talent.
Voila! Theatre Festival brings international artists together in the multicultural capital to celebrate early-career, underrepresented theatre makers.
Let’s talk numbers: 110 shows in 70 languages from 450 artists will be performed across 8 venues, including Marylebone’s The Cockpit and Camden’s Etcetera, in just three weeks.
Created to platform the wealth of under-represented migrant-led talent in London, Voila!’s programme has something for everyone, whether that’s with tragedy, comedy or true absurdism – all subtitled in English.
Festival producer Dave Wybrow said: “Not speaking English at home is probably one of the biggest barriers people experience accessing what we think of as mainstream culture in Britain.”
Voila! claims to make the arts accessible to those who don’t relate to the people and accents they see on stage.
With over 300 languages spoken across London and an overwhelming 300 responses to the open call, festival organisers hope to platform even more artists in the next few years.
Festival co-director Katharina Reinthaller said: “There’s still little diversity and cultural exchange, and we still don’t hear enough accents on stage.
“We hope to strengthen the bond with the communities around local venues by presenting work in their native languages and open up a conversation to connect audiences and artists.”
Simon Christian is an Austrian actor performing in ‘HIDDEN VOICES: Queer Artists in Exchange‘ this November.
He said: “I have lived in London for 11 years and I’ve faced a lot of the struggles as someone who’s not from here, who’s first language is not English.
“It means a lot that this festival exists, that we celebrate languages, accents and stories from all across the world.”
Voila! Theatre Festival will be on throughout November and you can find out more here.
Featured image credit Grace Crowley
Join the discussion