Campfire with Mark Ball, Artistic Director of LIFT, London International Festival of Theatre

ditto is delighted to announce our Campfire speaker for February will be Mark Ball, Artistic Director of LIFT, the London International Festival of Theatre.

What does it take to have a theatre company of 20 actors and dancers perform while hanging off the Millennium Bridge, City Hall, the National Theatre and the London Eye during One Extraordinary Day? Can you comprehend the complexities of influencing the dreams of a sleeping city at dawn and dusk using a fleet of hot air balloons playing a scientifically devised soundtrack? How do you create an international festival in one of the world’s leading cultural cities, attracting over 100,000 visitors with different communities throughout London to participate in the events?

Mark Ball is a paragon of cultural leadership who specialises in the production and presentation of cultural events, festivals and artistic programmes. Over the past 15 years he has directed Fierce!, an annual international festival of theatre, live art and contemporary art, been Head of Events and Exhibitions at Royal Shakespeare Company and is a Governor at the Southbank Centre.

As Artistic Director of LIFT, Mark has always been passionate about the role and place of theatre in revealing issues, unpicking politics, shining a light onto some of the darkest corners of the world and telling us things that we didn’t know.

At the heart of LIFT there is a commitment to developing a festival that promotes sustainability, participation and involvement, creating new theatrical experiences that place the audience at the centre of things.

Mark has a wealth of stories and insights to share about how theatre allows us to fully understand ourselves and the world around us, so make sure you don’t miss out on what promises to be a very special evening.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP at [email protected]