As Chelsea Theatre’s Sacred Festival – this year titled US Real and bringing over artists from influential East Village performance space PS122 – gets underway I caught up with Chelsea Theatre’s Artistic Director Francis Alexander.
What does Sacred Festival hold in store for 2010?
It’s an incredibly exciting time for us at Chelsea Theatre with this year’s Sacred Festival. Last year we looked at “performing the real”. This year, in the light of heavy financial cuts, we have turned our attention to what happens when credit ceases to exist. We have linked up with the New York space PS122 in East Village and are bringing over three New York-based artists including Richard Maxwell, Sara Juli and Young Jean Lee.
Why should people visit the Chelsea Theatre’s Sacred Festival?
Not only is it it a chance to see some completely new work by the most talented artists working in the field of live performance. We are saving you an incredible £450 – the price of air ticket to New York – as we have the artists right here in London at the Chelsea Theatre. And where more appropriate to be situated in Chelsea than at World’s End district, the birthplace of the British Punk movement.
What does the future hold in store for Chelsea Theatre?
With cuts of 30% we are looking carefully at how do we continue to nourish the best of future creativity and artists are most at threat. It will not unfortunately be the larger performance spaces such as the National Theatre or Royal Court but the great artists of tomorrow who will be most affected by the artists. We offer young artists a real chance of work through our associate artist scheme; vital to stimulating new artists. The abdication of live art by mainstream media – has had a knock on effect in academia, which has taken live art under its wing and is thriving with festivals such as Fresh AiR.
Alongside performances what else is Chelsea Theatre offering?
During Sacred we will be running our popular Symposium day which always is fully booked. Through this popular day we offer spots to PHD and MA students; a unique opportunity for developing new talent and a brilliant chance for exposure for young artists.
And Chelsea Theatre currently has a new Associate Artists Scheme. Can you tell me about that?
We currently have new artists including Karen Christopher and Manuel Vason, along with Action Hero. We have had long term relationships with these artists and hope to continue supporting their work. Our current artists-in-residence are the wonderful Julia Bardsley and Andrew Poppy. Lyn Gardner has said of Bardsley ‘She could have been running the National Theatre by now, but instead quite deliberately chose a different career path. In recent years she has been making inspired and unsettling work on the cusp between the theatre and the gallery.’
Rasheeda Nalumoso, Nov 1 2010
