The Southbank Centre has been at the heart of London’s theatre scene since the 1950s, and it’s currently the largest arts centre in the entire United Kingdom. Constantly platforming valuable stories and challenging work, the centre is now launching a brand-new series of stage productions under the name KUNSTY. This series of new work from independent British artists is accompanied by a fabulous tagline, making room for “the rad, the queer, and the uncategorisable”.
The artists platformed in this series, running from November 5 to 8 2025, cover everything from theatre to cabaret, live art, and dance, playing with the boundaries of genre and style to create something fresh and radical, often telling deeply personal stories through bold and experimental forms.
What’s on at KUNSTY: The rad, the queer, and the uncategorisable
Part of the Southbank Centre’s Autumn/Winter Performance and Dance programme, KUNSTY spotlights a few key artists performing over the series’ four-day programme. These include Bullyache, Patricia Langa, Sung Im Her, Harry Clayton-Wright, and Jenny Moore, along with many other brilliant creatives in the performing arts space.
Up first, Bullyache’s ‘WHO HURT YOU?’ transports us into a dystopian future beyond physical space, in which performers still attempt to pursue their craft after theatres have closed and money has run out — even if it means performing in a car park. We follow a fading, traumatised drag star (portrayed by drag icon and pianist Barbs), who holds onto her old Vegas show, performing it for “anyone who happens to pass by”. The production is limited to just a single show on November 5, so get your tickets early.
On November 6 and 7, you’re in for a treat with a Flamenco-inspired queer cabaret extravaganza. ‘Cabrolé!’ was created by Patricia Langa, bringing together dance, music, joy, and community to tell a queer story of love and self-expression.
The production draws on the history of Flamenco as a means of connection for the marginalised in 1800s Spain, weaving in histories from India, Central America, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Andalucian Roma community. This fabulous cabaret is “a call to rebellion” dressed in glitter and song, finishing with an invitation to come together and dance at the end of the night.
Another programme highlight on November 6 is the London premiere of ‘1 Degree Celsius’ by Sung Im Her, which brings seven dancers on stage to interrogate climate change through movement, introducing music and light almost as characters of their own. Using collected data, both the original musical score and the lighting design for the production were coordinated with rising temperatures, emphasising how even the slightest shift in the climate can have significant consequences for our environment.
On November 8, critically acclaimed performance artist Harry Clayton-Wright brings the London premiere of ‘Mr Blackpool’s Seaside Spectacular’ to KUNSTY, running for two shows on the same evening. A tale of four entertainers living in a dystopian future not too far removed from our own times, the show combines cabaret, variety, drag, and dance to tell their stories and bare their roots in the seaside town of Blackpool.
An end-of-the-world spectacle in “lurid technicolour”, it’s created in collaboration with international showgirl icon Oliver Gregory, also known as Miss Titty Kaka, whose performance career began at the town’s very own drag institution, Funny Girls, as well as married dancing duo Aysh and Sam De Belle.
Artist and musician Jenny Moore is another exciting name in the lineup, gracing the KUNSTY stage with the world premiere of her show ‘Wild Mix’ on November 6. The production draws on a wide range of disciplines to explore themes of queer healing, including communal singing, drumming, and kickboxing, resulting in a one-of-a-kind musical.
You’ll be taken through a six-part song cycle and immersed in a mix of multi-layered vocals and intense beats. At its core is an ensemble of friends, lovers, colleagues, and housemates, as well as a rather unusual instrument: a transparent, water-filled boxing bag with a hydrophone.
Platforming independent artists and bold new work
Through the launch of the KUNSTY series, the Southbank Centre once again opens its doors to allow artists with unconventional ideas to tell their stories. As Artistic Director Mark Ball says, the centre is “a home for artists at every stage of their career to be their most adventurous and create extraordinary work”.
The centre’s Head of Performance & Dance, Aaron Wright, is looking forward to how the KUNSTY series in particular will allow “audiences to discover the radical and the uncategorisable”.
The KUNSTY series will run between November 5 and 8 at the Southbank Centre in London. Fancy a 30% discount? Book five or more shows in the KUNSTY series and get your discount across all tickets.
