DISRUPT is a festival that brings together artists, communities, researchers, charities and schools, harnessing collective learnings from an arduous year to reimagine the role of the arts in our societies.

‘The arts sits within broken or breaking systems, acting as a microcosm for broader inequalities and inaction experienced by society. This plays out in various ways, sometimes through the hierarchical ways in which arts organisations engage with communities. How can we collectively ensure this work responds to community needs now, in an equitable, empowering and inclusive way?”

DISRUPT is an antidote to some of these issues. It attempts to explore different ways of working with communities, centring lived experience, representation, and community voice.

This event is coordinated by Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Barbican, in partnership with Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance, Culture Mile, Lived Experience Network, Maya Productions, and Slung Low.