Draw inspiration from a live operatic performance in this unique workshop. Create a drawing of an opera singer in performance and be inspired by sound and movement in the glorious setting of the Medieval and Renaissance galleries. After the workshop, join us in the Creative Studio at 15:30 for a special talk where you can discover more about the process of costume design. Event designed by London College of Fashion MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming students.

This event is part of the V&A Performance Festival

Performances will be at 11:30 and 13:30 and workshop at 15:30 in the Creative Studio, level 3

Medieval & Renaissance, Room 50b

Post-show Q&A with designer Zoë Hurwitz, following the performance of They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!

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As part of the exhibition at the Margate School, these talks will explore the following questions: how are performance designers responding and adapting to the key challenges of our times? How has our artform changed in response to a changing world? What voices have been missing from the conversation?

The talks are free to attend and all are welcome.

By Dario Fo and Franca Rame
Adapted by Deborah McAndrew

The cost of living is out of control – and so is Anthea. Sick of scrimping and scraping to pay her energy bills, she starts a riot in the local supermarket resulting in a group of raging housewives looting the building.

Now, with a pile of freshly “liberated” groceries, Anthea and her best friend Maggie embark on a ludicrous, laugh-a-minute adventure, trying to keep their law-abiding husbands in the dark whilst staying two steps ahead of the crime squad.

They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! is the work of Dario Fo, Nobel Laureate and the master of farce. Deborah McAndrew’s whip-smart adaptation mixes political satire, hilarious plot twists and wise-cracking dialogue to create a thrilling play about the lengths people will go to when they’re desperate.

They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! is being brought to life by the Mercury Theatre’s Creative Director, Ryan McBryde (Baskerville, The Comedy Of Errors, Oliver)

Designed by Zoë Hurwitz

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Join the Hello Stranger South West team for a parade through Queens Square and King Street using the light up puppets, props and other items created during the workshops earlier in the day.

This is an opportunity to have fun, socialise and raise awareness of the hard work and positive effects of performance design!

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

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Join an exciting panel of practitioners across a range of disciplines including set and costume design, lighting design, production management and education. We will be discussing sustainable and environmentally friendly practice within performance design and the wider industry to better understand how we can create more sustainable shows.

The event will feautre a conversation between the panel, before a Q&A session with the audience and hopefully some time to discuss and mingle further after the event.

Confirmed panellists include: Rachael Duthie, Will Reynolds, Tom Lightbody and Bronia Housman.

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

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Come and hear the thoughts of a panel of practitioners from across all sides of the theatre industry to discuss the current state of mental health and wellbeing.

We will be reflecting on how the last few years have impacted us both positively and negatively and asking how we can improve conditions, particularly regarding childcare, production schedules and job sharing.

Full confirmed panel details coming soon!

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

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We invite you to an exclusive artist-in-conversation talk with Khadija Raza, the brilliant designer behind the stunning production of The Flood. Joining them will be David Shearing from the Society of British Theatre Designers.

This one-hour conversation will delve into the intricacies of the design process and explore the creative decisions that brought this powerful production to life. It’s a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration and collaboration that shaped the design of this epic show. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to gain an exclusive insight into the world of theatre design.

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Launch event for the Hello Stranger - Spaces and Places x The Trans Gaze installation at Deptford Lounge. Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with the installation, and also listen to and participate in a discussion, featuring hello stranger South London curator Anna Clock alongisde artists E. M. Parry and Xavier Velastín, about what the trans gaze means in terms of scenography. They will discuss ideas such as: what can design-led work in live performance look, sound and feel like? How can we embrace pluralities in our work and processes? What does symbiosis look and feel like in design?

Open to all, aimed especially at the wider theatre and arts / design industries - for example but not limited to producers, directors, performers, movement practitioners, production and stage managers - as well as anyone with an interest in design for live performance. The discussion will take place within the installation at Deptford Lounge, with wine and nibbles provided.

Talk will begin at 8.15pm. The installation will be open from 7.30pm.

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A conversation with NWDA team about the NWDA, living and working in the Northwest and the importance of community.

Join us with a nice cup of tea, to chat about all things design in the Northwest. We would love to talk about the importance of community, how you can be involved and what life is like living and working in our region.

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In response to the lack of collaboration over the past few years, we are planning a coming together of designers and practitioners at all stages of their career to create together an installation made from costumes kindly donated by our theatre wardrobe departments.

The event will serve as a provocation for discussion and debate amongst theatre designers, students and practitioners working in Scotland. The idea is to work collectively to suspend, tie and connect the costumes across the width and depth of the sculpture court, then using recycled, donated items we will reconstruct to make physical connections with the old and new. Weaving threads, joining and connecting we hope to reconstruct and create a constantly changing space. Invited dancers and musicians from  ‘Out of Class’ will respond to the installation through sound and movement. The participation being the creative contribution rather than the installation itself.

A rough structure of the day is below:

10.00-10.30- meet and greet.

10.30-1.00 pm Create the installation, pausing for discussion

2.00-3.00 continue and prepare the space

3.00-5.00 dancers and musicians session

5.00-6.00 discussion and reflection, make connections

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