Theatre Deli SHIFT+SPACE 2023 Line-Up Announced

From January - May 2023, Theatre Deli will present the third season of their celebrated rapid development programme.

Described as "a space for genuine experimentation and play" and "an invaluable opportunity" by previous artists in the programme, SHIFT+SPACE is a unique take on work-in-progress programming, which offers artists an opportunity to present their performance on a Friday and incorporate audience feedback over a 24 hour period before presenting again on Saturday evening.

Opening on 20th January with the gender and genre-bending plewds by Katherine Payne, Spring 2023 will be Theatre Deli's largest SHIFT+SPACE season to date, showcasing performances from 14 companies. A non-prescriptive programme, SHIFT+SPACE offers artists a chance to experiment and play with audience interaction. This season, audiences will join as a collective body in you wake up / octopus, influence the unique experience of those who come after them in climate change commentary Your Progress Will Be Saved and deconstruct and rebuild Hamlet in role-playing game Play Upon Me.

The flexible call out for SHIFT+SPACE allows artists to explore their own ideas, including autobiographical themes of identity from gender norms and queerness to trans journeys and the meaning of family. Performances in the line-up ask questions around hidden disabilities, colonialism and even the murky world of insurance brokering, while genres range include dance, music, cabaret and VR.

Since opening in Autumn 2021, SHIFT+SPACE has supported 19 companies, granting many their first ever performance opportunity. The programme includes free access to a package of resources including five days of space, technical expertise and marketing support to help them move their work-in-progress to the next stage. On top of this, artists keep 100% of the Box Office, which many have cited as particularly useful in the current economic climate.

A national meanwhile-space charity, Theatre Deli's model involves taking over unused spaces to support artists and offer communities access to the arts. The organisation opened its most recent London venue on Leadenhall Street and around the corner from the Gherkin in July 2022. Theatre Deli's new Sheffield venue is due to open its doors in spring 2023.

David Ralf, Executive Director & CEO of Theatre Deli said, "SHIFT+SPACE continues to be an exciting, intensive testbed, the centrepiece to our ongoing London artistic offer, focused in on getting extraordinary new work in front of audiences at an early stage, and getting immediate responses so that artists can try things out straight away. I can't wait to see this latest batch taking over our Leadenhall Street space."

SHIFT+SPACE opens on 20th January 2023 and will run across most weekends to May 2023 at Theatre Deli, 107 Leadenhall Street, City of London, EC3A 4AF.

Ticket prices vary. Tickets can be booked at https://bit.ly/ShiftSpace23

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