Theatre of Great Britain Festival opens in Hackney Wick

London’s Perverted Children - a musical performance that brings to light night-time tales of Hackney. 10 - 14 July

In Hackney Wick, two workmen wearing high visibility jackets are hurriedly painting over some graffiti. Apart from the hulking great stadium behind them, it’s about the only sign that in the coming weeks a certain high-profile sporting event will bring in as many as 40,000 visitors to this haven for hipsters and artists.

Over at the Yard, a plan is in place to welcome the crowds. The Theatre of Great Britain – A Festival, runs throughout July and comprises eight full-length shows, each offering an alternative and challenging perspective on Britain, Britishness and British theatre.

“With the world apparently descending upon London, we thought it’d be cool to do a festival about British theatre,” says the Yard’s Colette Auer.

The festival is a serious attempt at defining Britain and British Theatre. In the first week, a production called The Return explores different perspectives on the situation in Iraq as Dina Mousawi, an Iraqi woman living in Bradford, returns home to the war torn country. It’s to be performed back-to-back with Hands Across the Sea, a play about empire and colonialism based on the replies received when a series of postcards were sent all over the world to people living on streets named after Queen Victoria.

“I think one of the really interesting things is that the shows don’t always talk about Britain,” Auer continues. “The Return and Hands Across the Sea, for example, are more about British influence on other countries. We wanted the shows to be as diverse as possible but still very reflective of modern Britain.”

Hackney itself also looms large in the programming. Teenager Michaela Coel recalls her last days of innocence, growing up in the London borough, in her one-woman show Chewing Gum Dreams, while London’s Perverted Children, by local artist Siddhartha Bose, is a performance combining music with spoken word poetry inspired by Hackney’s street art and graffiti.

Auer says: “What we’re trying to do is look to the people coming here and welcome them. I think that is why these pieces are so diverse and try to incorporate different genres and companies, to give a little flavour of what Britain has to offer.”

The Theatre of Great Britain – A Festival
Until Saturday 28 July
The Yard Theatre
Queens Yard
White Post Lane
E9 5EN

Note: this article was amended at 10.10am Tuesday 10 July 2012.