producer & commissioner

The fourth annual DARE Festival took place at Shoreditch Town Hall from Thursday 25th to Saturday 27th October 2018 in The Ditch. We commissioned 12 artists/companies to develop new work for the festival and were supported through a four-month artist development programme of mentoring, peer support, sharings and producing and fundraising advice.

For the first time, in 2019, 8 out of 12 of our commissions were reserved for artists who identify as LGBTQ+, D/deaf or disabled, working-class or underclass, and artists who are from a minority ethnic background.

DARE 4’s festival theme was money, with all commissioned work relating to the theme in some way.

DARE Festival 4 was commissioned by Shoreditch Town Hall and supported by Arts Council England and Cockayne Grants for the Arts – The London Community Foundation.

DARE Festival is created and produced by Upstart Theatre.

DARE Festival 4 Artists & Shows
Luca Rutherford – Cute
Outside Edge Theatre Company – A Very Happy Scrappy Sackler Thanksgiving
Clumsy Bodies – Clumsy Bod(y Doubles)
Cheeky Chin – Money Funny Sunny
Kill The Cat Theatre – The House Never Wins
Deborah Vogt & Connor Roff – Busk
Tylor and Vincent – Tylor and Vincent’s Pussy and Money
Beth Timson – Outgrown
Écoute Theatre – Take Care
Nathan Ihedioha, Duramaney Kamara, Joel Osei & Segen Yosef – Encore
Simon Carroll-Jones – The Local
Jennifer Jackson – Endurance
Voxie & Change of Art Collective – NASTY

UPSTART THEATRE FESTIVAL TEAM
Artistic Director: Tom Mansfield
Executive Producer: Emma Sampson
Producer: Hannah Tookey
Stage Managers: Lucy Adams & Yanik Dijkstra
Front of House Manager: Emma Clarke

Photos by Ali Wright and Lidia Crisafulli.