The disability arts festival Together!2017 is all set to start on 23 October (Monday), with a world première performance. The disability history month festival will run until 15 December, in Stratford and East Ham.
A solo performance by Lauren Payne, a member of the Anjali Dance Company, will portray a woman’s hidden strength and purity. The festival features other disabled performers and highlights include a pop-up poetry cafe at Stratford Circus arts centre, with pantomime and also a visual poetry exhibition.
The festival is organised by the social enterprise Together!. It was formed to create a cultural legacy for Paralympic in 2012. the community interest company also arranges free arts activities for disabled people, in a year-round programme. The company is working to make an international centre of excellence for disability arts out of east London. The 8-week arts festival showcases alongside a film festival, workshops, dance performances and theatre, across various venues.
All are free events, unless specified, open to everyone. The festival line-up includes the festival opening event on 17 November, with a poetry exhibition at East Ham public library, from 6pm to 8pm. The Pop-up Poetry Cafe and performances is on 18 & 19 November, at Docklands Maritime Festival, at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Alien street art is on 25 November, at Gallions Reach Shopping Park.
The Together! Music club’s performance and exhibition is on 1 December, at Vicarage Lane community centre, from 7pm to 9pm. A para-carnival parade on 2 December goes through Stratford. Blue Sky Actors’ The Jingle Book pantomime at Stratford Circus is at 4pm and 7pm. A Filmmaking Workshop for disabled film-makers runs on 7 & 8 December, from 11am to 7pm. The end of festival party is on 15 December, at Vicarage Lane community centre, from 7pm to 9pm with has performances and a reading by Together!2017 writer-in-residence, Penny Pepper.
