Theatre of Great Britain - A Festival at The Yard Theatre

The Yard, a fringe venue in Hackney Wick, east London, presents The Theatre of Great Britain - A Festival, which runs from 3 to 28 July 2012, featuring 8 shows exploring what Britain and British Theatre means today.

3 to 7 July at 7.30pm
The Return , conceived and researched by Dina Mousawi, directed by Poonam Brah. A girl with a camera returns home to a war zone. British/Iraqi Dina Mousawi brings her experience of that journey from Bradford to Baghdad to the stage to reveal different perspectives on a conflict that has dominated our headlines for the last 10 years.

3 to 7 July at 9pm
Hands Across The Sea , by Nina Feldman. How do people communicate over distance? And how did colonialism open up more distance between people while making the world a smaller place?

10 to 14 July at 7.30pm
Younghusband , by Dominic Francis. What if your name were both a secret and a source of pride? What if it connected you to a dubious past, a period in history under revision? When Sir Francis Younghusband crosses the Himalayas in 1904 and enters the Forbidden City of Lhasa in Tibet, little does he realise the repercussions of his actions.

10 to 14 July at 9pm
London's Perverted Children , by Siddhartha Bose. In 2011, Sid Bose spotted a piece of graffiti that said 'London's perverted children.' This note inspired him to collect strange and intriguing evidence of the eclectic dynamism of Hackney. Now he's woven these tales into a visceral theatrical performance that brings to light the night-time tales of a London borough.

17 to 21 July at 7.30pm
An Oasis in 5 Parts, by Patrick Ashe. I am Patrick and I have made An Oasis in 5 Parts - a series of works about hometowns, memories and journeys. A story about a town I no longer have any love for and a town that I wish still existed. It is a show in 5 parts across different media: performance, audio and video games.

17 to 21 July at 9pm
Chewing Gum Dreams, by Michaela Coel. Tracey Gordon, the 67 bus, friendship, sex, UK garage, school, music, teachers, friendship, periods, emergency contraceptive, arse and tits, friendship, raves, tampons, white boys, God, money. Friendship. Aaron, Candice, sex and Connor Jones. Chewing Gum Dreams is a one-woman play that recalls those last days of innocence before adulthood.

24 to 28 July at 7.30pm
And We Gather, by Holly Noble. A.D.Dance Company present two new works that explore gender in modern dance. One is female, the other is male. What role does gender play in choreography? This piece will journey through British choreographers, beginning with Marie Rambert and ending with Wayne McGregor.

24 to 28 July at 9pm
Jack, by immigrants and animals. Summertime, half-naked women and an evening in Hackney. What happens now? Crux. Crunch. Climax. Crossroads. A dance for the overwhelmed. immigrants and animals is the group name for dances choreographed or initiated by Jamila Johnson-Small. immigrants and animals is bored with contemporary dance as you know it.