Greenwich + Docklands International Festival 2023 – Acts of Hope
The astounding UK premiere of Open Lines, presented by Cie Basinga, kicked off the 2023 Greenwich + Docklands International Festival (GDIF).
GDIF: Open Lines | General Gordon Square, Woolwich | 25 August 2023
Tatiana Mosio Bongonga, an internationally acclaimed tight-rope walker, balanced and crossed a high wire to live music in Open Lines, a showcase of precision, finesse, and aerial acrobatics.
Bongonga’s rope was supported by twelve inspiring members of the Woolwich community, celebrating, as the show intends, ‘the importance of collective endeavour in creating togetherness and hope’.
Greenwich + Docklands International Festival | Until 10 September
The remarkable outdoor event was followed by a bustling Opening Night Reception for GDIF, featuring delicious street food from The Trini Flamingo; delectable drinks from The Green Goddess; and heartening speeches from GDIF Artistic Director Bradley Hemmings, Executive Director of Enterprise and Innovation at Arts Council England, Tonya Nelson, Chief Executive of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, Jessica Neil, and Leader of the Borough of Greenwich, Cllr Anthony Okereke.
Hemmings discussed the innovative 2023 festival line-up, which features productions speaking about acts of hope. Woman Life Freedom (26 August) ‘invites us to stand in solidarity with the women of Iran’. ATC’s The Architect (6-10 September), co-created by Mojisola Adebayo, ‘offers a life-affirming theatrical journey infused with experiences of Black Londoners across the three decades since the murder of Stephen Lawrence’. Resurgam (31 August – 2 September) showcases aerial dance by American company BANDALOOP along and in front of the external walls of St. Paul’s Cathedral. And Sliding Slope (2-3 September) comments on rising ocean levels, urging for ‘active, change-making hope to address global warming’.
GDIF provides many exciting, free, and accessible outdoor arts events from 25 August until 10 September, so check out and support their fantastic array of productions before it ends!
Main Image: Dancing City (9 & 10 September), Credit Josh Lake
Mary’s is completing a Masters of Arts in Theatre and Performance at Queen Mary, University of London. Her research engages specifically with feminist theory, disability justice, Indigenous Autonomy, and activism and protest. As an avid artist and performer – and former student of music theatre performance at Sheridan College in Oakville – she’s devising performance pieces that aim to find majesty in the mess.
