GDIF 2024 | London’s free, annual outdoor performing arts festival 23 August-8 September 2024

Presented By and devised by Omikemi in collaboration with Julie McNamara and Charlie Folorunsho

A Woodland Wake for Midsummer

26 August | 13:40 & 15:15 & 16:50 | St Marys Gate, Greenwich Park

Duration: 20mins

Free

Devised by Omikemi in collaboration with JulieMc McNamara and Charlie Folorunsho

Step into a woven, woodland wake to remember, mourn and celebrate whilst picking our pathways to the future. Sensory worlds collide as ritual words of love, songs and sounds combine with the scent of herbs under a canopy of trees. This timely and beautiful theatre offering, invites us to move on, mind our lives and love this world anew.

Music by Teresa Maguire, Sheena Valley & friends

‘An Invitation to Join in’ – 27th & 28th August
Using words, drawings, poetry and song, we invite you to join us in the Woven O to contemplate our loves and losses,  and celebrate those we’ve said goodbye to.

More information on A Woodland Wake for Midsummer

Site Access

All shows at Greenwich Fair are free to attend. Just show up.
Assistance Dogs Welcome

Level Access

There is level access to each performance location.
There is a mix of hard-standing and grass areas. Trackway will be used to create accessible routes.
There will be short ramps onto any raised areas.

Access Viewing areas 

A priority area for disabled audiences will be marked with a sign or flag. Space for wheelchair users and various seating options will be available at each performance site.

Distances between sites

The festival site includes Greenwich Park, Old Royal Naval College and Cutty Sark Gardens.
Most performance sites are 5-15 minutes away from each other. Each site has multiple performances throughout the day.

The show ‘The Air Between Us’ is at the top of Greenwich Park next to the General Wolfe Statue and near The Royal Observatory. An accessible buggy with 1 wheelchair space and up to 4 companions will be available (on a first-come-first-served basis, provided by the Royal Parks team) between St Mary’s Gate and the Pavilion Café in Greenwich Park in both directions. More details will be available at the GDIF accessible social point near St Mary’s Gate.

Check the map and brochure to plan your route or ask a volunteer who can direct you to an information point.

Quiet Space and Access Areas

A covered Quiet Space and Access Area will be provided onsite at the Old Royal Naval College. The Access Area will have volunteers and staff available for access information throughout the day. This will be located on King Charles Lawns.

Greenwich Park will have an accessible relaxed social area near St Mary’s Gate.

Many nearby peaceful areas have bench seating across Royal Greenwich Park and the Old Royal Naval College.

Assisted Access Routes

GDIF volunteers will guide audiences on the following access routes:

1) BSL/Captioned/Speech Free performances
2)Audio Described performances
3)Performances with Easy Read available

Details of routes and meeting points coming soon.

Accessible Toilets

Revolootion (formerly Mobiloo) changing places facilities with a hoist and changing bench will be available at Greenwich Fair.

Please bring a sling to use the hoist.

Greenwich Park has accessible toilets behind the Royal Observatory.

Blue badge parking

Cutty Sark Gardens, Park Row (25 Park Row, London SE10 9NL), College Way Car Park

Greenwich Park, car parking via Blackheath Gate only ( Greenwich Park Car Park South, London SE10 8QY)

Drop-off points

College Way, SE10 9LS
Greenwich Park top- Observatory, Blackheath Ave, London SE10 8XJ
Greenwich Park bottom- St Mary’s Gate, London SE10 9JL

Contact

For Access questions, contact [email protected] // 07899 893 935
For other audience questions, contact our Box Office: [email protected]

Show Access

All performances are BSL Interpreted
Integrated creative audio description

Sensory Information: Immersive and includes herbs to smell

Content Information: Themes of mourning and loss of loved ones
Made for adults, suitable for all ages.

You can watch or join in when invited to. There will be no pressure to join in.

Easy Read Visual Guide

Part of assisted route

Gallery

About Julie McNamara

My work is a passionate appeal for social justice and places untold stories centre stage, shedding light on unheard voices from the margins of our communities.

I have been entrusted with extraordinary stories along the road, for which I will always be grateful. The journey has taken me on some deeply eccentric pathways. Have I become a Magpie, a thief of others’ stories? Or am I now the careful custodian of secrets that urgently need to see the light of day?

On seeing my hunger for my Grandmother, Greta Minto’s vivid descriptions of the lives depicted in the yellowing pictures stored in her old biscuit tin, my Mother warned her: “Don’t tell her another thing! She writes everything down. You’ll find yourself on stage one day. And we have to live here when she’s moved on…”
Sometimes Mother knows best.

Supported by

A Woodland Wake for Midsummer at GDIF 2023 is supported by Royal Parks, Greenwich Park, the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Royal Greenwich Festivals and Arts Council England.

 

Where to find it

St Marys Gate, Greenwich Park

The Photo Route.

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