Battle Festival returns for its fifth year with live events and activities across all artforms, throughout October and beyond.
Launching the Festival this year is Festival Fiesta, an afternoon of fun for the whole community, with an array of colourful events on the Abbey Green, as well as inside Battle Abbey itself, including theatre inside a life-size whale, family activities galore, dancers, live music and plenty of surprises (September 30).
The Giufa Project, co-produced by Battle Festival, Glyndebourne, Opera Circus and Crisis Classroom, will see young people present new artwork and performances on the theme of migration as part of an exciting international collaboration spanning music, theatre, dance, parkour (free running), visual art, and film (October 20).
Other highlights in theatre, dance, and spoken word include Jonny Fluffypunk’s autobiographical show about finding yourself, fusing elements of theatre, storytelling, comedy and stand-up (October 6); Leviathan, a new show by James Wilton Dance based on the novel Moby Dick, complete with an electro rock soundtrack (October 19); Macbeth, Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of greed and political ambition from Bowler Crab Productions (October 21); Opera Anywhere perform an inspired, accessible adaptation of one of Mozart’s most famous operas The Magic Flute delving into the other-worldliness which glamorous Hollywood brought to post-Blitz London (October 7); Unkindest Cut by Sadhana Dance interweaves dance, performance, text and film around an intricate light installation exploring some of the complex issues around young people and mental health (October 26-31).
Musical highlights include the Ceilidh Liberation Front, who will be liberating the dancefloor with their energetic and immersive performance, suitable for the whole family (12 October); and Becky Mills (who has worked with the likes of Pentangle and Fairport Convention) joined by Ruth Angell on violin (October 23).
Battle Festival 2018 features world-class classical concerts, with a whole weekend dedicated to classical music for all, including mesmerising Russian pianist Roman Kosyakov, winner of the 2018 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition (October 26); Battle Festival’s resident ensemble the internationally renowned Primrose Piano Quartet joined by violinist Jonathan Stone and cellist Richard Lester (October 27); and Around the World in 80 Minutes! a special family concert on the theme of travel with the Primrose Piano Quartet and guests from Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra (October 28).
The family fun continues with Fizzlebert Stump, a new adaptation of AF Harrold’s much-loved book for children aged 6-10, featuring puppetry, magic and a lion with false teeth (October 21); Blast Science return to Battle Festival with The Extravaganza Show, a whistlestop tour through the world of science, with plenty of audience participation and live experiments (October 23); Oskar’s Amazing Adventure is the heartwarming tale of a puppy’s search for friendship in the wilderness of the Alps (October 6).
In addition to the main programme there are a host of fringe events taking place at venues around Battle.
Tickets are on sale now. For details of all events pick up a brochure available locally, or visit battlefestival.co.uk.
Photos: Battle Festival