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Chapters: BA PACE Final Performances
Thank you for joining us for Chapters festival! These performances are no longer available to view. Check out our current and upcoming Autumn Season broadcasts on this page of our website
Chapters was first broadcast 7–9 October, 6pm
Guildhall School’s pioneering BA (Hons) Performance & Creative Enterprise (PACE) programme was established in 2015 as a joint initiative between Guildhall and the Barbican with the aim of training visionary, socially engaged, multi-disciplinary, autonomous artists.
This October, the graduating class of 2020 present an eclectic festival of brand-new performance. From immersive soundscapes to spoken word and rap theatre, and from experimental short films to stand-up comedy, Chapters celebrates the plurality, politics and ferocious power of PACE.
Each Chapters session will feature an Q&A with the artist led by Gilly Roche, Head of Interdisciplinary Practice and Programme Leader for PACE at Guildhall. Share your thoughts, questions and comments using #GuildhallChapters on Twitter.
Chapters festival age guidance: 16+.
These student-devised performances contain strong language and adult themes and content, as detailed below.
Access Info
The festival performances and introductions will be captioned, and the post-performance Q&As will be BSL interpreted. The Queer House Party finale will be captioned, BSL interpreted and audio described.
Festival performances and introductions are subtitled by Stagetext.

Wednesday 7 October

Real Talk
Paula Varjack x Travis Alabanza
Wednesday 7 October, 6pm
Catch up with this Instagram Live conversation
Chapters festival kicks off with a special instalment in the new Real Talk series of conversations, curated and hosted by multi-disciplinary artist and Guildhall tutor Paula Varjack in collaboration with Guildhall PACE students.
For this informal conversation, streamed via Instagram Live, Paula is joined by Travis Alabanza who discusses their practice and shares advice, experience and ideas with the next generation.

Deja 2
Wednesday 7 October, 7pm
Louie Le Vack collaborates with musicians who come alive as characters in this narrative-driven performance of rap, spoken word, theatre, movement and live music. The piece aims to challenge our perception of everyday realities, exploring themes of money, class, world issues, life in London, and Louie Le Vack's personal journey as an artist in the city.
This performance contains strobe lighting and references to drug and alcohol abuse.

Significant Other
Wednesday 7 October, 8pm
A performance exploring the personal effects of alcohol addiction through monologue, poetry and song. The ‘Significant Other’ is personified as a can of cider and is also used to describe the disease of addiction itself.
This performance contains references to alcohol abuse throughout, and explores the emotional and psychological impact of addiction.

Being Blu
Kookie Blu
Wednesday 7 October, 9pm
An experimental short film based on Kookie Blu, who is sentenced to lockdown for causing a creative pandemic.
Thursday 8 October

My Life Matters
Thursday 8 October, 6pm
A musical journey combining elements of rap, poetry and music production outlining what it means to be a young black person in the current climate.
This performance contains strong racist language including the n-word in the context of the experiences of a young black person.

if secrets could talk
Thursday 8 October, 7pm
A performance exploring the rise of survival sex work as a result of the impact of the Universal Credit system. The piece explores real stories and questions what happens when a system built to protect us fails.
This performance contains references to child sexual abuse. alcohol abuse, violence towards women and toxic family relationships.

Reminiscent
Thursday 8 October, 8pm
A semi-verbatim audio performance which delves into a relationship that shifts and adapts to the news of a life-altering diagnosis.
This piece explores the impact of dementia on the person who lives with it and on the people who care for them. Specifically, it takes the perspective of the partner in exploring the emotional impact of a dementia diagnosis, together with the changes and challenges that it brings.

Pathways
Thursday 8 October, 9pm
A snippet and one-man rendition of a full show, created by Reme Rodgers, exploring themes of existentialism and identity.
This performance contains themes of alcohol abuse and violence, and includes references to depression.
Friday 9 October

Black is Beautiful
Jessica Anastasia aka Poetess Jess
Friday 9 October, 6pm
A visual short film that captures, highlights and expresses real life emotions and experiences of being black, sending a positive, meaningful message assuring black people that black is beautiful.
This performance contains strong racist language including the n-word from the outset in the context of the experiences of a black person.

Feelin' Fine!
Friday 9 October, 7pm
A 'Normal' stand-up comedy set for 'Normal' people. Come and forget the world outside (not that there’s anything that needs forgetting!) and laugh and have fun! Everything is 'Normal'!
This performance contains dark humour, and scenes of bloody violence and death.

DANDELION
Friday 9 October, 8pm
Dandelions are considered a weed, that must be removed on sight and disposed of. Yet they hold so many healing properties for the human body.
Through archive footage and choral soundtrack, this performance celebrates the life and work of the American composer, pianist and vocalist Julius Eastman, as well as those that existed before and after him.
Eastman’s essence and work are such a powerful force in music. And even beyond this piece, this power should continue to be preserved.
This performance contains use of the n-word in the context of the life, work and death of Julius Eastman.

Guildhall x Queer House Party
Friday 9 October, 9pm
On the final night of Chapters, we’re teaming up with Queer House Party – the award-winning, virtual party that’s accessible, interactive, camp, punk, radical and DIY – to celebrate our graduating PACE students.
Hosted by multi-disciplinary artist and Guildhall tutor, Paula Varjack, this unique Guildhall x Queer House Party collaboration will be fully accessible from the start, and will feature short performances from our PACE artists, along with live DJ sets from Queer House Party DJs.
Join us as we raise a toast, have a dance and send the Chapters festival off in exuberant style.
For more information about safeguarding, accessibility and how to access & participate in the session, visit the Queer House Party website.
Queer House Party age guidance: 18+
This is a live event hosted on Zoom, and may contain strong language and adult content.
With thanks to
Samuel Ziajka, Dylan Bate and the AV team.
Anna Matthews and the Performance Venues team.
Em Davis and Karl Dixon.
Esther Vardy (Director of Photography)
Special thanks to Natasha Zielazinski, Detta Danford, Justin O’Shaughnessy and the PACE tutor team, including:
Gail Macleod
Hannah Dunster
Rick Holland
Jacob Sam-La Rose
Paula Varjack
Endy McKay
Sam Mumford
Brigitte Beraha
Chiel Busscher
Taylor Skye
Jamie Bradley
Laura Bridgeman
Gareth Mattey
Seth Scott-Deuchar