Back to Back Theatre visit London, Brighton and Leeds

Back to Back Theatre is driven by an ensemble of artists with disabilities and is considered one of Australia’s most important cultural exporters. The company creates new forms of contemporary performance imagined from the minds and experiences of a unique ensemble of actors with a disability – giving voice to social and political issues that speak to everyone.

Their critically acclaimed performance The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes (Shadow) will be touring to Battersea Arts Centre (London), Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (Brighton) and Leeds Playhouse – co-presented with Transform, marking an exciting new collaborative venture between these partners who are committed to working together to bring extraordinary, inclusive international performance to UK audiences. 

Shadow celebrates our civil and social progress via a story of great sadness and ultimately, of hope. Weaving a narrative through human rights, sexual politics, and the projected dominance of artificial intelligence, it’s a sly theatrical revelation inspired by mistakes, mis-readings, mis-leadings and misunderstandings. 

Based around a public meeting, the performance asks the question: how do we come together to make decisions that are in the best interest of a civic society? Shadow reminds us that none of us are self-sufficient and all of us are responsible. 

Alongside the performances, the partners will be working together to shape an inclusive programme of events and exchange with some of the UKs leading learning disability arts organisations – Access All Areas, Carousel and Mind the Gap – to engage artists and audiences in deeper reflection around Shadow and its themes. 

This important UK tour forms part of UK/Australia Season – a new major cultural exchange between Australia and the United Kingdom from the British Council and the Australian Government.