An image of a person with a black and silver beard, large hair decorated with braids sitting next to a lamp on a table. They wear a silver costume with pink and purple ruffled shoulders and have pink tentacles attached to their fingers.

The Way Out

A surreal, theatrical adventure through our building.

Watch ‘The way out’ now on BBC iPlayer

Filmed in one continuous take, The Way Out is an immersive journey through Battersea Arts Centre’s labyrinth of rooms and corridors. On a rainy night, a young person escapes into a seemingly empty building and meets a mysterious guide, who offers them an alternative way out.

Follow actor and comedian Omid Djalili (His Dark Materials, The Infidel) as your enigmatic guide, and join Bláithín Mac Gabhann (Penance, Sally Rooney’s Normal People) on a journey of discovery.

Look out for performances from some of the most exciting, diverse artists working in the UK today: Lucy McCormick, Caleb Femi, Botis Seva, Le Gateau Chocolat, The Cocoa Butter Club, Sanah Ahsan, and Too Hot For Candy.

The Way Out is directed and co-written by Suri Krishnamma and produced by Battersea Arts Centre, in partnership with Arts Council England and BBC Arts. Part of Performance Live.

‘A whirl through wonderland. This bewitching single-take film captures the magic of live performance with one showstopper after another’ ★★★★ THE GUARDIAN

GALLERY

In a corridor with a colourful mosaic floor, Omid Djalili (wearing a long red coat, a red trilby hat, and using a walking stick) faces The Outsider (a person with shaved short hair, wearing all black with a blue vest)
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A woman wearing a colourful flowery head dress and matching crop top and shorts balances five hula hoops across her body. A group can be seen cheering behind her.
A man stood in the doorway to our courtyard gallery. He looks directly into camera wearing a black quilted coat.
An image of Lucy McCormick singing into a microphone wearing a bright green jumper and tracksuit bottoms.

CLIP: DANCER BOTIS SEVA

A man dancing, body outstretched with fingers pointed as sand falls into a pile behind him.
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THE STORY BEHIND THE SCENES

An image of a film crew in the corridor of Battersea Arts Centre. A man in a duffle coat stands facing them as a man wearing a cap gestures.
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