Greenwich and Docklands International Festival announces initial 2018 line-up

The Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, which this year will run from 21 June to 7 July, has announced its initial programme for 2018.

Based in locations across Royal Greenwich, Docklands and Tower Hamlets, the new shows will join the already announced This Is Not For You from Graeae Theatre Company, and Duke Riley's Fly By Night (a co-commission with LIFT), both of which run as part of 14-18 NOW, the arts programme for the First World War centenary.

Total Theatre Award-winning theatre company Ockham's Razor will present their first outdoor show Belly of the Whale, set on a giant seesaw. Directed by Tina Koch, the seesaw transforms into a catapult rocking cradle, a tunnel and a slide. The production will take place in Greenwich Town Centre, and run on 23 and 24 June.

Greenwich Town Centre will also host Max Calaf Sevé's dip, a light-hearted acrobatic experience set on a trampoline. Featuring live funk music, the piece runs from 23 to 24 June.

Travelling Light Circus will present The Playground of Illusions on the same dates also in Greenwich Town Centre. The piece, which re-adapts old pieces of industrial machinery and uses them to make gadgets and gizmos for interactive fun.

Candoco Dance Company will perform a one-night performance at Dance City in Canary Wharf entitled Dedicated To… on 30 June. A new duet choreographed by Caroline Bowditch, the piece celebrates female strength

Helen Eastman will present Bicycle Boy, a bicycle-based musical for young children and families. The show, which was developed alongside Oxford Playhouse, runs (or cycles?) on 23 and 24 June in Greenwich Town Centre.

The rest of the line-up will be announced in March.

For the first time this year, the festival has been awarded Gold in the Attitude is Everything’s Charter of Best Practice. The Charter promotes accessibility across performances for D/deaf and disabled people, with new policies including the provision of BSL interpretation, captioning and audio description of performances, the creation of an access and community engagement manager role.

Michelle Walker, executive director at FESTIVAL.ORG, the company that oversees the festival, said: "It’s brilliant to have been recognised by Attitude is Everything for the work we have done to make GDIF accessible for audiences. Access for audiences and artists has been a priority for us since the very beginning and we will continue to ensure that GDIF champions accessibility and inclusion in the outdoor arts sector in the years ahead."