This month, the JOY Festival opens at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. This annual celebration showcases work from established and emerging disabled artists within the Hammersmith and Fulham community.
So what can you see at this year’s festival? Well, there’ll be an eclectic range of performances. So, expect plenty of music, spoken word, theatre and dance from local disabled artists and companies. And there’ll be a visual art exhibition, presenting work created by pupils at local Special Educational Needs schools. These artworks have been made at workshops run by JOY throughout the year.
JOY 2019 was hugely successful, involving 208 artists, 381 participants, 21 performances and 75 workshops. And it was seen by more than 1,000 audience members. After a break in 2020, this year’s festival hopes to be even more vibrant and successful.
JOY 2021 events
To help make that happen, JOY Festival have been running accessible and inclusive free family fun days in West London. Giving families the opportunity to have a go at circus skills. Now, they’re inviting everyone to help create a large-scale community art piece in Lyric Square on Saturday 11th September. And it’ll be based on the ‘paint splashing’ technique of artist Jackson Pollock.
Alongside this hub of creativity, there’ll be a chance to join in and enjoy some dance improvisations, led by the Amici Dance Theatre Company. These will run throughout the day in the square.
Then, from Wednesday 15th September, the showcase will run at the theatre with opening performances including poetry from Colin Hambrook and Wendy Young, and a new dance piece from Amici. For those who can’t make it along, there’ll also be a live stream from the theatre.
The event is run in partnership with Turtle Key Arts and Hammersmith and Fulham Arts Festival. Not just for arts professionals, it also reaches out to those who may not have previously been involved in the arts.
For more arts and culture festivals, head over here!
When: 11th – 17th September, 2021
Where: Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, King Street, London W6 0QL
£: Events in the square are free and tickets for the performance showcase are £10
More info: www.joyfestival.org.uk
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