Without Walls Announces Diverse 2025 Programme with UK Festival Partners

Without Walls has announced the nine artists who have been commissioned for their 2025 programme, highlighting a diverse array of innovative and engaging work. Touring the country this summer, this year’s season continues Without Walls’ commitment to making creative work  in public spaces accessible for a range of audiences, in partnership with some of the UK’s most  highly regarded outdoor arts and performance specialists.

The artists included in the 2025 programme will tour to Without Walls’ festival partners  Brighton Festival, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Stockton International Riverside Festival,  Birmingham Weekender, Certain Blacks – Ensemble Festival (London), Greenwich+Docklands  International Festival and, new for 2025, An Indian Summer Festival (Leicester).

Ralph Kennedy, Director of Without Walls, comments, The Without Walls 2025 programme  showcases the very best in outdoor arts, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to announce this  incredible lineup. From powerful dance and circus works to imaginative theatre and striking  installations, these nine shows promise unforgettable moments for audiences across England. 

This year’s programme reflects our unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of  what’s possible in outdoor performance. With 79 performance days planned – 12 more than lastyear – and every artist guaranteed at least four festival bookings, we’re delivering a platform for  bold, boundary-breaking work to flourish. 

We’re proud to support both new and returning artists in this programme. Established  companies like Artizani and Stopgap Dance Company are back with stunning new shows, while  CompanyDHW and Sadiq Ali Company, both recipients of our R&D funding in recent years, are  examples of emerging talent taking flight within the Without Walls network. 

These performances will inspire communities, spark conversations, and demonstrate the power  of art to connect us. We can’t wait to see audiences gather to experience the wonder of  exceptional outdoor arts in 2025. 

The new season showcases a wide range of forms, themes and genres, with a focus on  accessibility and inclusivity, sustainability, music, circus, dance, street theatre and installations.

Hydropunkis Artizani’s interactive installation created in collaboration with the public, which  places water at its centre. Taps, valves, pipes, pumps, sprays, and leaks form a chaotic, yet  playful water machine full of games and puzzles, all fed by a central reservoir. Asking audiences to consider society’s disposable approach to water-use, Hydropunkis a striking environmental  metaphor. With a limited 1,000 litres of water available, participants must work together to  conserve and recycle water, engaging in a constant challenge against waste and leakage. Hydropunkis co-commissioned by Stockton International Riverside Festival, Birmingham  Weekender, Brighton Festival, and Norfolk & Norwich Festival.

A heart-warming inter-generational family story embedded in love, Go Grandad Go!, explores upbringing, culture and what it means to redefine generational relationships. In this uplifting and relatable Hip-Hop theatre dance show, audiences are presented with new approaches to  help understand each other as ageism is left at the door. Lead by the dynamic and multifaceted  Dani Harris-Walters, Go Grandad Go!is brought to life by CompanyDHW, a Hip-Hop theatre  company with community, authenticity and inclusivity at its core. The show is supported by  Without Walls and commissioned by FESTIVAL.ORG for Greenwich+Docklands International  Festival and Brighton Festival.

HUGis a vibrant, new outdoor circus theatre performance and living installation that explores relationships between people, objects and the environment that surrounds us. Through a fusion  of aerial dance, physical theatre and striking visuals, audiences are invited to rediscover the  power of touch and connection through the simple act of a hug. Bodies will fly, bend, flip, contort, suspend, climb and balance on a set resembling a giant hug. HUGis created by  Levantes Dance Theatre, supported by Ensemble Festival, Birmingham Weekender, Brighton  Festival and Stockton International Riverside Festival.

Waiting Songby Mish Weaver portrays a lyrical and dynamic conversation between two  trapeze artists as they animate crescents made of steel. The Waiting Songartists share their anticipation and optimism for good things to come as they sing and move on the trapezes. The  audience is invited to consider what they are looking forward to by sharing thoughts and images  for inclusion in the performers’ song. This intimate show is co-commissioned with Certain  Blacks, Birmingham Weekender and Brighton Festival.

Roots to Riseis a discovery of ancestry, agriculture, ecological activism and the wisdom of  women. Throughout this journey of reconnecting with the natural world, Nandita  Shankardass employs dance, poetry and music to celebrate freedom, resilience and community,  inviting audiences to regenerate their relationship with the earth and with one another. Roots  to Riseis supported by An Indian Summer Festival, Stockton International Riverside Festival and Brighton Festival.

Tell Meis a captivating contemporary circus and dance show that reimagines the narrative  around HIV in today’s world. Combining breathtaking performances on Chinese Pole and Aerial  Cubes, the show creates a hypnotising visual spectacle as it follows the journey of a woman  navigating her diagnosis. Based on his lived experiences, Sadiq Ali Company’s first outdoor work  to confront stigma and challenge outdated perceptions. The three-person cast of acclaimed  circus, dance and theatre artists weaves poignant storytelling with inspiring physical artistry to offer a hopeful and empowering vision of living with HIV. Tell Meis co-commissioned by Norfolk  & Norwich Festival, Certain Blacks, Inspirate and Birmingham Weekender. The R&D for Tell Mewas supported by Blueprint: Without Walls R&D Investment Fund.

Following the international success of FROCK, renowned dance company Stopgap Dance  Company returns with their new show RO-TES-រទ េះ. Showcasing groundbreaking innovation in  wheelchair design, Disabled artist Nadenh Poan makes his choreographic debut in collaboration  with Stopgap’s world class dancers. Inspired by his Cambodian heritage, growing up on a boat  and learning to swim before he could wheel; the first time he saw a RO-TES-រទ េះ (Khmer for  wagon) was the moment he realised he could move with the land too. Nadenh reimagines his  wheelchair as a place that can support more than just his body and the diverse creatives of  Stopgap Dance Company invent a new world of bold movement and irresistible rhythms, in a  joyful celebration of progress and community. RO-TES-រទ េះ is co-commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Birmingham Weekender, Stockton International Riverside Festival and  Brighton Festival.

Puppetry experts and renowned children’s theatre company, Theatre-Rites present a tale of  choice, trickery and joy in partnership with celebrated Afro Cuban Choreographer and dancer Miguel Altunaga. In Eshu at the Crossroads, the company’s first ever outdoor production,  dancers and a puppeteer find themselves at an enchanted crossroads guarded by a magical  rooster and faced with a decision of which way to turn. This wonderful family adventure full of  dance, puppetry and music is directed by the company’s Artistic Director Sue Buckmaster, with the dynamic choreography from Altunaga bringing the vibrancy of his Yoruba culture to life. Eshu at the Crossroadsis co-commissioned by Birmingham Weekender, Stockton International  Riverside Festival and Brighton Festival.

Step into the stillness of the The Hideand see what might not always be visible. In this charming  live birdwatching experience, Tilly of Tilly Ingram Theatre shares her love of birdwatching and  lived experiences as a woman with a non-visible disability. As an artist whose practice is centred  around our relationship with nature, Tilly tells the story of G463, a disabled White-Tailed Eagle,  who inspired her love affair with birds. The Hideencourages audiences to sit and appreciate the  spaces around us, considering what might not be immediately obvious to the eye. The Hideis  co-commissioned by Brighton Festival and Norfolk & Norwich Festival.

Every year, Without Walls invests commissioning funds into a programme of new outdoor  shows that tour across the UK and internationally. These works range from the intimate to the  epic, aiming to create high-quality arts experiences that are accessible to all, regardless of  personal, social or economic circumstances. The organisation consists of the Artistic Directorate  (AD), which delivers the artistic policy of the company by supporting and presenting new work;  the Touring Network Partnership (TNP), which is made up of organisations who are committed  to touring Without Walls shows to neighbourhoods, towns and cities across England with low  arts engagement; and the Creative Development Network (CDN), which is made up of  organisations and freelance professionals developing an outdoor arts programme and who  receive mentorship, training and support.

Featured Image: Courtesy of Roswitha Chesher