National announces details of touring Watch This Space festival

The National Theatre's outdoor Watch This Space festival – traditionally held in the courtyard in front of the south bank venue – is heading on tour around south London this year.

Throughout July and August, the festival hub will be at St John's Church on Waterloo Roundabout, with dancers, musicians, aerialists, jugglers and acrobats performing in and around the churchyard.

The programme will include "lively lunchtime music on the lawn, quick evening shows before the commute and days of fun for families", as well as special guest appearances during the church's Sunday Service.

Watch This Space will also 'pop up' in unexpected places across Lambeth and Southwark including many existing local festivals; from Brockwell Park and Brixton Market to Peckham Square and the Aylesbury Estate.

The programme will include "Micro-Shakespeare" from Spain's Laitrum Teatre, an acrobatic comedy called Crazy in Love by Joli Vyann, and a promenade audio-tour on Lower Marsh from award-winning company Inspector Sands.

St John's Church meanwhile will play host to two shows commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War – Words of War and Subterranean Sepoys, two readings of Avin Shah's new radio plays about life in the trenches with the Indian Army.

Watch This Space will also visit local festivals including Waterloo Festival Fête, Waterloo Carnival & Jamboree on Millennium Green, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens Summer Festival, Streatham Festival, Peckham Munch Festival, The Burgess Park Festival and the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park.

The National's courtyard continues to host the temporary venue formerly known as The Shed.

For further information on Watch This Space, visit nationaltheatre.org.uk/wts