Contacting the World is Contact’s revolutionary international theatre project for young and emerging artists. It redefines the way in which theatre is created on the global stage.
Every 2 years, 12 of the world’s freshest new theatre companies from around the world are twinned to form 6 pairings. With the guidance of Contact, they engage in a year long exchange - overcoming their cultural and geographical distances to create brand new pieces of cutting-edge theatre.
For one week from Sunday 27th July – Saturday 2nd August, this year’s festival will be leaving its Manchester home to take over Liverpool city centre - for the very first time! 350 artists from around the world will arrive in the city for a week of explosive performances, workshops, and street theatre.
Sunday 27th July
10:00am - Bare Feet (Zambia) workshop
12:00pm - Other Side of the Mirror (Poland) workshop
2:00pm – Bare Feet (Zambia) performance
2:00pm - Bare Feet (Zambia) workshop
4:00pm - Other Side of the Mirror (Poland) workshop
7:30pm – Afro Reggae (Rio de Janeiro) & Space 3 (Manchester) perfromances
Monday 28th July
10:00am - Creative Arts Team (New York) workshop
12:00pm - Project Phakama (London) workshop
2:00pm – Kattaikuttu performance
2:00pm - Creative Arts Team (New York) workshop
4:00pm - Project Phakama (London) workshop
7:30pm – Positive Impact (Liverpool) & Al Harah (Palestine) performances
Tuesday 29th July
10:00am - Evam Youth Forum (Mumbai) workshop
12:00pm - Tiyatro 0.2 (Istanbul) workshop
2:00pm Afro Reggae (Rio de Janeiro) performance
2:00pm - Evam Youth Forum (Mumbai) workshop
4:00pm - Tiyatro 0.2 (Istanbul) workshop
7:30pm – Aarohan (Kathmandu) & Die Zweifachen (Berlin) performances
Wednesday 30th
10:00am - Al Harah (Palestine) workshop
12:00pm - Positive Impact (Liverpool) workshop
2:00pm – Evam Youth Forum (Mumbai) performance
2:00pm - Al Harah (Palestine) workshop
4:00pm - Positive Impact (Liverpool) workshop
7:30pm – Other Side of the Mirror (Poland) & Bare Feet (Zambia) performances
Thursday 31st
10:00am - Afro Reggae (Rio de Janeiro) workshop
12:00pm - Space 3 (Manchester) workshop
2:00pm – Hand Made (Liverpool) performance
2:00pm - Afro Reggae (Rio de Janeiro) workshop
4:00pm - Space 3 (Manchester) workshop
7:30pm – Evam Youth Forum (Mumbai) & Tiyatro 0.2 (Istanbul) performances
Friday 1st
10:00am - Die Zweifachen (Berlin) workshop
12:00pm - Aarohan (Kathmandu) workshop
2:00pm – Other Side of the Mirror (Poland) perfomance
2:00pm - Die Zweifachen (Berlin) workshop
4:00pm - Aarohan (Kathmandu) workshop
7:30pm – Creative Arts Team (New York) & Project Phakama (London) performances
Saturday 2nd
Climaxing on Saturday 2 August, CTW 08 will join forces with Brouhaha - Liverpool’s pioneering international arts organisation – to create the largest single carnival performance in the UK. 2000 costumed participants, acrobats, musicians, circus performers and street theatre groups will collaborate with artists from Greece and Poland in a carnival event based on the Trinidadian clown character ‘Pierriot Grenade’.
The main venues are Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and the Unity Theatre, but expect the city to come to life as the performers also spill out onto the streets and perform around ‘the suitcases’ at Hope Street.
Going beyond the “feel-good” factor of many young people’s projects, CTW encourages its participants to ask difficult questions about the complexities, challenges, and excitements of the global community.
