Liberty Festival Heads to Croydon

From live comedy to inclusive workouts, the Mayor of London’s flagship disability arts festival, LIBERTY heads to Croydon

The three day festival in the London Borough of Culture this September will celebrate the work of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists.

IMAGERY CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE

FRIDAY 1 – SUNDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2023

Highlights include:

• Some of the UK’s best stand-up comedy talent take to the stage – Francesca Martinez, Aaron Simmonds, Steve Day and Variety D
• An inclusive fitness workout session with the trainers from Joe Wicks’ The Body Coach App, India Morse and Leroy Elevates
• Touretteshero returns to Liberty Festival
• A family friendly free garden party with a host of performers, with refreshments from Dialogue Hub’s Mobile BSL Dialogue Cafe
• A finale event featuring: Candoco Dance Company; poet, Ellen Renton; Inner Vision Orchestra; and visual and performance artist, Rachel Gadsden

19 July 2023, This is Croydon, Croydon’s year as London Borough of Culture, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, have today announced the line-up for Liberty Festival 2023. The jam-packed programme from Friday 1 September to Sunday 3 September will celebrate the works of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists, taking place across Fairfield Halls and the surrounding areas.

From Friday 1 September the festival will welcome audiences of all ages from the local Croydon community and beyond to showcase art in various forms. From live comedy, joyful dance performances and immersive theatre, to thought provoking poetry, film and exhibitions, plus juggling and inclusive fitness workouts, Liberty’s 2023 programme is set to bring something for everyone. The festival is primarily free to attend, with a mixture of unticketed and ticketed events. Events that require audiences to obtain tickets in advance are listed on Culture Croydon.

The cutting-edge showcase will have access and inclusivity embedded throughout.  All performances will take a relaxed approach to movement and noise, with audiences free to leave and re-enter, tic and move around if needed. The curators of Liberty Festival, Drunken Chorus, founded in 2007 are a Croydon focused charity curating inclusive and accessible festivals, events and creative experiences. Drunken Chorus work with numerous local organisations to promote and create interesting, contemporary and alternative performances.

The first day of the festival, Friday 1 September, sees audiences being treated to a night of stellar comedy curated by Ingenious Fools at Liberty Live Comedy Night. The show features some of the UK’s best stand-up comedy talent, including Francesca Martinez, Aaron Simmonds, Steve Day and Variety D. Elsewhere, there’s an immersive dance performance, NOISE by Nua Dance and a dynamic live art and sound performance premiere, TransHuman Embodiment and Beyond,from disabled visual and performance artist, Rachel Gadsden and sound designer, Freddie Meyers.

On Saturday morning the festival celebrates the power of movement for all, as movement and mind coach, Leroy Elevates and deaf personal trainer, India Morse of Joe Wicks’ The Body Coach App take participants through an Inclusive High Intensity Interval workout.

A variety of events take place across the weekend. Poet, performer and theatre maker, Ellen Renton’s exhibition IF YOU’VE SEEN IT YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT conjures up questions around the ways in which our eyes and our minds often sit at odds with each other (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Saturday and Sunday sees Touretteshero return to Liberty Festival with Journey to a Better World. An immersive experience, inviting audiences of all ages to explore what our post-pandemic world should look like, through creative encounters, conversations, and interactive activities.

Saturday afternoon also sees Queen’s Gardens being taken over by a Liberty Garden Party. This family friendly outdoor pop-up event will feature a variety of performers entertaining audiences each day. Saturday’s performers include Def Motion, Moxie Brawl, Savvy Theatre Company, Stopgap Dance Company and Tit for Tat, with Club Soda, Hijinx, Moxie Brawl, SLiDE and Tit for Tat performing on Sunday. On both days refreshments will be provided by Dialogue Hub’s Mobile BSL Dialogue Café. Dialogue Cafe is the first British Sign Language (BSL) cafe in the UK. They employ Deaf and Hard of Hearing baristas so customers have to sign their orders in BSL to communicate to the staff.

Festivities conclude on Sunday with the Liberty Festival Finale which includes performances from: Candoco Dance Company; a poetic exploration of what it means to grow up a girl, and how this experience intersects with disability and visual impairment in An Eye For An Eye For An Eye from Ellen Renton; and a special collaboration between Inner Vision Orchestra and Rachel Gadsden. Inner Vision Quintet x Rachel Gadsden will feature a quintet from India, Colombia, England and Japan, with Gadsden live painting to capture the music.

Additional events will be announced in the coming weeks with further details listed HERE

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This year’s incredible Liberty Festival has something for everyone. With an inspiring line-up incorporating everything from comedy, dance performances and immersive theatre, to thought-provoking poetry, film and inclusive fitness workouts. The festival is a highlight of Croydon’s year as my London Borough of Culture and showcases the immensely talented creatives from our disabled, Deaf and neurodiverse community, as we build a fairer and better London for everyone.”

Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon said: “Liberty Festival, curated by Croydon’s Drunken Chorus, is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the achievements of Deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse artists and groups in Croydon.

At its heart, the festival will be run as a relaxed event including performances where audience members are able to come and go as they need. I encourage all residents to drop into Fairfield Halls or The Queen’s Garden’s to experience the festival.

“The festival, which is part of Croydon’s London Borough of Culture events, showcases belonging and pride for all communities within the borough and beyond.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact Four:

CroydonLBOC@four.agency

Press images available here

Notes to Editors

Event Listings

Friday 1 September

NOISE from Nua Dance – The Recreational, Fairfield Halls – 6.30pm – 7.30pm

Tickets available here

Nua Dance’s interactive film for BBC Arts and Dance Passion, commissioned by One Dance UK, The Place and Dance East, has paved the way for this immersive performance of NOISE for Deaf and hearing audiences. Prepare to question and explore your understanding of noise through vibrating soundscapes and reactive visuals. Follow the dancers on a captivating journey, inspired by their personal experiences of navigating communication challenges in a society bound by ableism and heteronormativity. Brace yourself for a mind-altering experience of self-discovery, leaving you energised and awakened. Choose your own path and immerse yourself in this vibrant, transformative performance.

TransHuman Embodiment and Beyond from Rachel Gadsden & Freddie Meyers – The Foyer, Fairfield Halls – 7.30pm – 8pm

Tickets available here

Disabled visual and performance artist Rachel Gadsden, and sound designer Freddie Meyers, have created a dynamic live art and sound performance that takes the audience on a journey exploring notions of TransHuman Embodiment. Through their combined art practices, Gadsden and Meyers consider how chronic illness and disability not only present challenges, but also empower and authorise agency of the body. The ambition is to build foundations for a social and politically charged artistic expression, and to contribute to disability cultural change.

It is because of the advancement in medical science that Gadsden continues to survive, and to go on to challenge perceptions of disability, both Nationally and Internationally, through her art practice. TransHuman Embodiment and Beyond will premiere at Liberty Festival 2023, Croydon.

Liberty Live Comedy Night, produced by Ingenious Fools – The Ashcroft, Fairfield Halls – 8pm – 9.30pm

Tickets available here

A stupendously hilarious and star studded show packed with some of the very best UK stand up comedy talent.

Francesca Martinez – Live at the Apollo (BBC2), The News Quiz (Radio 4), The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV)

Aaron Simmonds – Russell Howard Hour, Undeniable (Comedy Central), as heard on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio Scotland

Steve Day – “Warm, funny, frank and thought-provoking” – The Scotsman

Variety D – Sorry, I Didn’t Know (ITV), The Judi Love Show (BBC Radio London) and Two Birds In A Park (BBC Radio 4)

Friday 1 September to Sunday 3 September

Breathing Room – Outside, in between Croydon College and Fairfield Gardens – 11am – 7pm

Tickets available here

Breathing Room is an immersive, walk-in, kinetic installation by artist Anna Berry that beautifully combines organic and machine elements into a unique sensory experience. Entering the tunnel-like installation, the visitor is enveloped by 28,000 gently ‘breathing’ cones, which create a distinctive, otherworldly encounter and offers a space for contemplation and reflection. Its mechanical exterior skeleton contrasts sharply with the organic interior, which creates a sense of the uncanny and encourages the viewer to reflect on their own surroundings. Every element of the structure is bespoke and hand-made.

Saturday 2 September

Inclusive Fitness Workout from India Morse and Leroy Elevates – The Recreational, Fairfield Halls – 10.30am

Tickets available here

You might recognise India and Leroy as trainers from The Body Coach App by Joe Wicks!

An inclusive High Intensity Interval workout session to wake you up on a Saturday morning! It will be full of energy and positive vibes.

Liberty Garden Party (Saturday) – Queen’s Gardens – 11.30am – 5pm

More information can be found here | Free

This is a family friendly outdoor pop-up event.

Join us at Queen’s Gardens, where throughout the afternoon performers will entertain you while you enjoy a hot drink from Dialogue Hub’s Mobile BSL Dialogue Cafe!

The following artists will be performing throughout the afternoon:

Def Motion

Moxie Brawl

Savvy Theatre Company

Stopgap Dance Company

Tit for Tat

(Schedule / performance times announced soon)

Saturday 2 September and Sunday 3 September

Orbits – Birds of Paradise – The Recreational, Fairfield Halls – 12pm – 6pm

Tickets available here

Birds of ParadiseTheatre Company present a new film installation featuring Portuguese dancer Diana Niepce, with Movement Director Rachel Drazek and Filmmaker Hugo Glendinning. It is through Diana’s willingness to uncover something both honest and new that we travelled together as a team. Orbits is a film about how we feel and what we experience when we lose something we have been in orbit or relationship with. How does this change affect our experience of ourselves? Orbits began as a collaboration between the artists in early 2021 during the pandemic and was filmed in Lisbon, December 2022. The film includes stunning original music by Scott Tynholm.

Sunday 3 September

Liberty Garden Party (Sunday) – Queen’s Gardens – 11.30am – 5pm

More information can be found here | Free

This is a family friendly outdoor pop-up event.

Join us at Queen’s Gardens, where throughout the afternoon performers will entertain you while you enjoy a hot drink from Dialogue Hub’s Mobile BSL Dialogue Cafe!

The following artists will be performing throughout the afternoon:

Club Soda

Hijinx

Moxie Brawl

SLiDE

Tit for Tat

(Schedule / performance times announced soon)

Liberty Festival Finale – Fairfield Halls – 6pm – 8.30pm

Free tickets available here

Candoco Dance Company – Team with No Name

6 – 7pm (The Foyer)

Candoco’s company of dancers is dedicated to making, performing and teaching outstanding dance in the UK and internationally. Kimberley and Anne-Gaëlle present: Team with No Name.  Celebrating different ways of seeing, of being and of making art, putting Candoco at the forefront of conversation around dance and disability. 

Ellen Renton – An Eye For An Eye For An Eye

6-7pm (Foyer)

Join Scottish poet Ellen Renton for a poetic exploration of what it means to grow up a girl, and how this experience intersects with disability and visual impairment. These poems concern themselves with looking: looking back over a childhood, looking again at what’s in front of us, and looking forward to possible futures. They visit girlhood and myth, blindness and friendship. They celebrate the freedom, shame, and awkwardness of coming to terms with our own bodies, and they ask what it means to look different and see differently. Based on the pamphlet of the same title published by Stewed Rhubarb Press.

Inner Vision Orchestra and Rachel Gadsden – Inner Vision Quintet x Rachel Gadsden

7pm Talawa Studio

The Inner Vision Orchestra is excited (X-sighted!) to be performing at the Liberty Festival. They delight audiences with their unique blend of joyful music from all over the world, led by Indian maestro Baluji Shrivastav OBE. This performance will feature a quintet from India, Colombia, England and Japan. They regularly tour and perform in top venues around the UK, and have released music with Arc/Naxos.

This is a special collaboration with Rachel Gadsden – a celebrated visual and performance artist who will be live painting to capture the music. Rachel will create a “live performance artwork” that will capture the sound, energy and dynamics of the Inner Vision Orchestra’s concert.

Events with multiple showings across the weekend

IF YOU’VE SEEN IT YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT from Ellen Renton – The Foyer, Fairfield Halls – Friday 1 September 4pm – 8pm, Saturday 2 September 12pm – 5pm, Sunday 3 September – 12pm – 5pm

More information can be found here | Free

An audio guide leads its listener through a series of images. A character in itself – the guide takes on the role of an unreliable narrator with a shifting tone: at times direct, at points abstractly poetic, and sometimes reflective. These inconsistencies and fluctuations in approach conjure up questions around the ways in which our eyes and our minds often sit at odds with each other – does the audio match up with what our own vision makes of the photographs? How many ways can an image be read? Is seeing really believing or is the old adage flawed?

Journey to a Better World from Touretteshero – The Cube – Saturday 2 September and Sunday 3 September 12pm – 6pm

More information can be found here | Free

Touretteshero invites disabled and non-disabled astronauts of all ages to join them on board the Starship Biscuit at Liberty Festival on its journey through time and space. What should a world post-pandemic look like? In creative encounters, conversations, and interactive activities, we will plan a future that includes all bodies, minds, and experiences. Everyone is welcome to help shape the journey to a better world with us.

Liberty Festival

The Liberty Festival is the Mayor’s flagship programme celebrating Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent Artists, curated by registered charity Drunken Chorus. Since 2019, Liberty has been developed into a touring festival, taking deaf and disabled arts to local communities in outer boroughs. This year the three-day festival will come to Croydon, London Borough of Culture 2023. Drunken Chorus, founded in 2007 are a Croydon focused charity curating inclusive and accessible festivals, events and creative experiences. Drunken Chorus work with numerous local organisations to promote and create interesting, contemporary and alternative performances.

London Borough of Culture

The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture award brings Londoners together. It puts culture at the heart of local communities, where it belongs, illuminating the character and diversity of London’s boroughs and showing culture is for everyone. Launched in 2017, there have been two rounds of London Borough of Culture so far. The programme for London Borough of Culture 2023, This Is Croydon, will be a celebration of everything Croydon has to offer – created, directed and presented by the people of the borough. From major events with internationally renowned artists performing alongside home-grown talent, to dozens of cultural activities from Croydon’s diverse creative communities, the programme will showcase the very best of Croydon to London and the world.

Find out more about the programme for This is Croydon at culturecroydon.com and follow @culturecroydon on social media.

Arts Council England

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. From 2023 to 2026 we will invest over £440 million of public money from Government and an estimated £93 million from The National Lottery each year to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk.  

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies responsible for administering the Government’s unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund of which we delivered over £1 billion to the sector in grants and loans. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19