THEATRE NEWS: Sacred At Chelsea Theatre

SACRED, Chelsea Theatre’s exploration of live art and contemporary performance launches this October for an exciting new season extending to February 2013.

SACRED will now run throughout the year, the first season beginning in October and running until February, the second taking place from March to July. As well as a brand new format, a SACRED event will take place at Battersea Arts Centre this autumn adding another dimension to the programme.

 

SACRED launches with So Below, from Chelsea Theatre Associate Artist Karen Christopher, (Formerly part of Chicago’s Goat Island) and Gerard Bell on October 19 and 20 at 7.30pm, followed by a week of shows including an evening with celebrated poet and author Jeremy Reed reading from Piccadilly Bongo, which he co-wrote with Marc Almond on October 22 at 8pm. Shabnam Shabazi performs Body House (Vers. 2) – An exploration of physical & psychological displacement on October 24, 7.30pm and on October 25 at 8pm, Dominic Johnson examines a secular approach to disaster and catastrophe with Departure. This arresting and ritualistic piece uses tattooing and techniques borrowed from body modification and features special guests. The whole of Chelsea Theatre will be utilised as impromptu cabaret, exhibitions and assorted art events take place in the venue’s foyer and rooms preceding each performance.

Following October’s dates Forced Entertainment’s artistic director Tim Etchells presents Sight is the Sense that Dying People Tend to Lose First at Battersea Arts Centre in a special SACRED event, joining forces with Chelsea Theatre for the first time on November 22, 23 & 24. Back at Chelsea Theatre, Michael Pinchbeck’s acclaimed The Beginning is on November 29 and 30 at 7.30pm and a double-bill of new pieces grown and nurtured from Chelsea Theatre’s Early Career Artist scheme is set for December 1 at 7.30pm featuring Jamila Johnson-Small and Sian Ni Mhuiri.

Peter Suart is set to explore Albrecht Durer and diseases of the mind in his piece Melencholia on February 2 and Guy Dartnell completes the first SACRED season with the meditative Inward Out on February 15 .

Artistic Director Francis Alexander says of the brand new programme: “It’s a pleasure to be letting SACRED just relax into a whole year’s worth of new work. Our launch with Karen Christopher’s SO BELOW in October heralds fifteen London premieres to excite, tantalise and just plain inspire us all. Whether it’s with the ritualised intimacy of Dominic Johnson and Shabnam Shabazi, or the dynamic movement of Jamilla Johnson Small, SACRED offers a huge range of potentially the most exciting artists to be seen in London over the next year”.

Chelsea Theatre, 7 World’s End Place, London SW10 0DR

020 7352 1967 www.chelseatheatre.org.uk Tickets for all October shows £10.00 and £7.50 Concessions. Booking now open, updates to follow.