Photograph @SophieMitchellPhotography, 2021 | Dancer- Francois Xavier Fesneau
ELEVATE festival showcases the distinctive excellence and cutting-edge innovation of students from the University of East London’s School of Arts and Creative Industries
Audiences will experience the next generation of creative change-makers, including foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate work from across the collaborative areas of dance, acting, applied theatre, music, media, performing arts, film, writing, journalism, animation and gaming, and fashion.
Key dates
Screening of Film Acting Collab
Monday 22 April 19:00 – 22:00
Venue: Great Beyond Brewery
UEL Level 4 Film and Acting for Stage and Screen students collaborate on an anthology of films inspired by the Great Beyond menu.
Course Leader: Juliet Knight & Julian Alexander
Bangers by by Danusia Samal Level 6 BA Acting for Stage and Screen
April 24 19:00
April 25 13:00
April 26 16:00 & 19:00
Venue: Arts Centre, Main Theatre
Written by Danusia Samal, and directed by Majid MehdizadehValoujerdy, UEL BA Acting for Stage & Screen presents Bangers.
Featuring original tracks inspired by early noughties and present-day
R&B and Garage, Bangers follows the highs and lows of two strangers as they struggle with their own pasts, while hurtling towards each other’s futures.
All the while, the DJ continues to play, dropping samples and words of wisdom. After all, it’s not about the last track but the one coming next that counts.
Bangers is coming to Stratford Youth Zone on 24th, 25th & 26th April, so don’t miss out as spaces are limited!
Age Restriction: 14+ Content Warning: Sex, Strong Language
Course Leader: Majid MehdizadehValoujerdy
Tickets
After Life by Jack Thorne
Level 6 BA Acting for Stage and Screen
April 25 16:00 – 19:00
April 26 13:00
Venue: Arts Centre, Main Theatre
If you could spend eternity with just one precious memory, what would it be?
A group of strangers grapple with this impossible question as they find themselves in a bureaucratic waiting room between life and death. Encouraged by enigmatic officials, they must sift through their past lives to choose their forever.
Adapted from Hirokazu Kore-eda’s award-winning film, After Life is a surreal and powerfully human look at the way we view our lives, and a haunting meditation on what it is to live – and to die.
Written by Jack Thorne from a concept by Bunny Christie, Jeremy Herrin and Thorne, After Life was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in June 2021.
It was directed by Herrin, in a coproduction with Headlong, by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical.
Now After Life is coming to Stratford Youth Zone on Thursday 25 & Friday 26 April, directed by Jude Monk McGowan and performed by University of East London’s talented final year students.
Age Restriction: 14+
Content Warning: Themes of death, violence, sex
Module Leader: Majid
Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy
Tickets
Acting Company Residency
Level 5 Residency at The Space
Road by Jim Cartwright directed by Elizabeth Hill
Thursday 2 May 14:30 and 19:30
Venue: The Space
The University of East London is partnering with The Space to showcase the energy, diversity, and raw talent of our second-year emerging actors. The actors have taken on secondary production roles as work placements.
Road is a raw account of deprivation and unemployment seen through the eyes of narrator Scullery. “Why’s the world so tough? It’s like walking through meat in high heels.” Jim Cartwright’s play gives expression to an unnamed northern road in Eighties Britain.
Course Leader: Juliet Knight
Tickets: Sold on the website. Students and staff can use the code UEL24 for free tickets.
Warning: Abuse, strong language, implied sexual themes, talks of implied sexual assault, death, and eating disorders.
Tickets
Acting Company Residency
Level 5 Residency at The Space
Sweet Science of Bruising by Joy Wilkinson directed by Caroline Griffiths
Friday 3 May 14:30 and 19:30
Venue: The Space
The Sweet Science of Bruising, as the dramatist Joy Wilkinson writes in her introduction, is an imaginative reconstruction of history from a new perspective: “whether it’s a true story matters less to me than if there is truth in the story.” It’s a gritty, sharp, and hard-hitting drama which will give you a completely different view of the Victorian lady, with her corset off and gloves on, fighting for her life in the ring.
Course Leader: Juliet Knight
Tickets: Sold on the website. Students and staff can use the code UEL24 for free tickets.
Warning: Scenes of domestic violence against women, scene that references abusive medical practice against women
Tickets
‘Culture Mash’: Who We Are
Thursday 2 May 16:30 – 20:00
Venue: The Lounge, Docklands Campus
This is a showcase of work from the Computer Games, Creative Writing, Fashion, Film, Journalism, Media, and Sport’s Journalism Students. The work will include: games, fashion, film screenings and various installations.
Course Leaders: Anna Robinson and Joe Hunter
This Is It
Wednesday 8 May 19:00
Venue: Studio 2, USS
Fatherhood; False advertising; Questionable humour; Death; Class struggles and the Subtle effects of grief collide in this evening of live performance presented by final year UEL’s BA (hons.) Drama, Applied Theatre and Performance students with artistic guidance and mentoring from Claudia Palazzo.
Come and see these emerging artists, activists, writers, directors and community leaders before they burst onto the UK scene!
Course Leader: Liselle Terret & Clare Qualman
Scratch Festival
Wednesday 8 May & Fri 10 May 15:30 – 20:30 (various performances throughout the day)
Venue: Studio Theatre, Arts Venue
Final year Acting for Stage and Screen BA (hons) students present 15 to 30 minute ‘scratch’ theatre pieces that are the output of a year’s research into a chosen subject area along with the nurture and guidance from academic supervisors across the department of Arts and Creative Industries.
Course Leader: Tristan Parkers & Juliet Knight
COLL!DE
Friday 17 May 19:00 – 22:00
Venue: Kenneth Moor Theatre, Oakfield Road, Ilford, IG1 1BT
The closing event and night to COLL!DE Festival 2023, produced and led by the Second Year BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice students. The night will feature work and performances from our current students, highlight graduate work and showcase industry talent.
Course Leader: Karine Goudout & Fred Folkes
Tickets: £10 (standard), £8 (concession), £5 (schools & colleges – please contact Course Leader, Karine Goudout, for a discount code)
Alcohol: Theatre bar will be open
Tickets
Einstein’s Dreams
Thursday 16 May 2024
14:30 and 19:30
Venue: Main Theatre at The Arts
A multimedia-multidisciplinary performance inspired by Professor Alan Lightman’s novel Einstein’s Dreams and performed by Performing Arts BA (Hons) Level 6
Course Leader: Tristan Parkes (Carrie Mueller)
Guidance: 15+ (age, explicit language or content) No explicit language or graphic material.
Ticket Link: Through Eventbrite Alcohol: None and no plans to run a bar as yet.
Film Graduate Screening Showcase
Thursday 30 May 16:00 – 18:00
Venue: Castle Cinema, First Floor, 64 – 66 Brooksby’s Walk, E9 6DA
Screening and celebration of our final year film student projects.
Director: Level 6 students
Course Leader: Johannes Maier, Julian Alexander
Elevate Takeover
University of East London
Innovation and Enterprise Summer Festival
Wednesday 12 June 18:00 – 20:00
Venue: Stratford Water Lane Campus
The University of East London’s Innovation and Enterprise Summer Festival will be taking place on Wednesday 12 June and we are bringing you the best of Elevate and taking over the Mainstage. There will be something for everyone including highlights from the Arts and Creative Industries ELEVATE festival.
Not ticketed, free to all to attend.
Guidance: 12+
Project Platform
Wednesday 3 July – Saturday 6 July & Wednesday 10 July – Saturday 14 July
19:00 (each day)
Venue: Camdens People Theatre
A student-produced festival of new work developed by Master’s level Directors, Actors and Performers. 8 nights of double-bills. PWYC.
Course Leader: Carrie Mueller & Tom Drayton
Tickets: Will be closer to the time
We would like to thank the Dean and all our colleagues; academic, administrative, marketing, communications, technical and production for making Elevate happen.
A special thanks to all our incredible students.
@uelartsandcreative
#elevateuel
uel.ac.uk/elevate Arts and Creative Industries UEL