James Cousins Company will take over the National Theatre’s free annual festival River Stage from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 June in its second weekend. Audiences are invited to join the company for an explosive celebration of dance with performances by the UK’s top dancers and singers, featuring bold choreography and exciting workshops.
International cabaret performer and star of The Cher Show, Tori Scott will be hosting the Friday evening. Tori will bring her repertoire of stories and eclectic songs ranging from Lady Gaga to Liza Minnelli. Sadler’s Wells’ resident over-60s performance company, Company of Elders, provide a joyous performance of we’re going to have to get better at this proving it is never too late to start dancing. Take to the dance floor with a beginners Salsa Workshop and dance away the night at After Party where PÄTO remixes well-loved classics.
On Saturday, Dame Arlene Philips will sit down with River Stage audiences to share stories and highlights of her illustrious career. Featuring the impressive talents of UK champion MC Zani, The Album: live brings together live beatboxing, break-through music artists and the contemporary dance duo, SAY. James Cousins himself will host a Guys and Dolls workshop teaching the audience the choreography behind the Bridge Theatre’s knock-out revival.
Dame Arlene Philips said: “The programme that James Cousins Company have curated is a brilliant mix that truly shows the joy in dance, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the festival. I saw their production of We Are As Gods in 2021 and know that it’ll be a showstopper on the River Stage. I love to see friends and families of all ages gather to experience performances and I hope they all join in.”
Watch a performance of Alethia Antonia’s Inscribed in “Me”, a visceral journey that investigates the parameters of feminine blackness and self-authorship, on Sunday afternoon. The London Contemporary Dance School will bring Sometimes Even Now (2015) to the South Bank, taking inspiration from Robert Cohen’s Cell (1969) looking at isolation and confinement. Expect pop-up performances and parading dancers at the hit immersive production from James Cousins Company, We Are As Gods.
Behind the scenes, four Young Technicians alumni will be working backstage on the NT’s River Stage Festival this year. Supporting the sound, lighting and stages teams, they will see the festival from planning to fruition and help with setting up DJ decks and mixing live bands, operating lighting effects and managing busy turn arounds. Launched in 2017, Young Technicians is the NT’s flagship technical training programme for young people aged 14-18, offering in-depth training and practical skills development for free to young people from groups currently underrepresented in the technical theatre industries.
KERB brings their open-air street food market to the National Theatre once again, opening from May to September. London’s longest banqueting table will be ready for visitors to tuck into seasonal street food specials such as pork belly and chicken thigh Portuguese bifanas, fluffy Korean bao buns, Venezuelan cachapas, Japanese ramen, Nashville fried chicken, Indian thalis, Sicilian style deep pan pizzas and wildly flavoured ice cream.
This year’s River Stage partners are The Glory (9–11 June), James Cousins Company (1618 June), Shubbak Festival (23–25 June) and Hackney Empire’s Young Producers (30 June – 2 July). River Stage will run from Friday 9 June until Sunday 2 July 2023. Please find the full programme details here.