Top Picks for London’s CASA Festival 2019
11 July, 2019CASA Festival, London’s largest fiesta of Latin American arts is preparing to heat up East London’s streets this summer with an otherworldly two week (16th-27th July) cross-arts extravaganza of discussions, parties and live music. With theatre still remaining at its core, its sister venues Rio Cinema and Rich Mix will see the 2019 festival expand into film, dance and other events.
Taking over the Arcola Theatre in Dalston from 16th-27th of July, with an eclectic mix of world musicians and fearless performing artists from countries including Mexico, Dominican Republic and Brazil, as well as UK-Latino creatives. As London is the fastest growing Latin American community in the UK, the festival hopes to become a small, fully-functioning part of its diverse culture.
CASA is planning to increase the UK capital’s reputation as an international film hub and London’s cinemas will play a vital role in the festival. Statistics demonstrated that 70% of the audience are bilingual. The multi-disciplinary output include talks, family-friendly screenings and workshops that push cultural boundaries with experimental themes that tackle immigration, gender identity and the breaking down of language barriers.
Here are the performances that we are most excited about during the two weeks of CASA celebrations:
Our CASA Festival Picks
Tuesday, 16th July
- Ladylike at Arcola Theatre 1 on Jul 16 (Dominican Republic, Argentina, global) – DANCE: Boundaries are challenged in this colourful, funny and entertaining portrayal of a superheroine’s struggles with gender. Containing some disturbing sexual scenes, ladylike shines light on the potential and limitations of gender across each country.
Wednesday, 17th July
- COCOTE at Rio Cinema on Jul 17 (Dominican Republic, 2017) – FILM: Christianity is pervasive in Latin American countries, so much so that it often conflicts with the law. But is it always morally correct? Cocote takes us on a brutal journey of an Evangelical Christian man who struggles to escape the confines of his religion as they clash with his own beliefs and personal autonomy. A raw and realistic tale of police violence, murder and the quest for freedom.
Thursday, 18th July
- Siblings at Rio Cinema on Jul 18 (Mexico-UK 2017) – FILM: A gripping tale of painful isolation on the one hand and acceptance on the other, telling the story of immigration from two perspectives. But are they really that different?
Friday, 19th July
- Butch Princesa at Arcola Studio 2 on Jul 19 (Venezuela -UK) – THEATRE: Touching on themes of LGBTQ+, immigration and escapism, Butch Princesa takes us into a utopian wonderland as we watch the art explosion of a queer and immigrant alter-ego ignite the stage. Expect comedy and dance fused with pulsating Latino beats that are bound to get your heart racing.
Saturday 20th July & 27th July
- Tropicalia Island at Arcola Studio 2 on Sat 20 & 27 July – THEATRE: It might be 2019 but were currently experiencing an apocalypse and there are only 3 safe havens left. We, the audience, are refugees who have reached one of them, Tropicalia Island. But faced with intense scrutiny with our “exotic white” complexion, we begin to question how safe this island really is. This vibrant dystopian performance reflects topical themes of immigration, sexism, homophobia all fused with a healthy dose of humour and a beautiful soundtrack as its backdrop.
See the full CASA Festival 2019 schedule at casafestival.org.uk
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