A group of people are in a studio space, kneeling with their forearms on the floor. They are all facing the same way with their bottoms pointing diagonally forward. They are in various states of undress, some of them are topless with jeans on, others with a half-unbuttoned top on, others just in underwear or with their trousers and underwear showing part of their bottom. The floor is brick and there is a black cable running round it connecting to some lighting stands that can be seen in the background.

The Present Is Not Enough

Silvia Calderoni and Ilenia Caleo

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Information

Time: 7:30pm

Tickets: Pay What You Can (Recommended Price £16)*

*all orders subject to a transaction fee of £2

Running Time: 1 hour (no interval)

Age Recommendation: 18+

This event takes place in person in our Council Chamber

A nameless excitement charging the atmosphere, / a yearning, / sinking into the darkness of the tumultuous night, an intimacy between strangers…

The Present Is Not Enough brings together archival material and movement to imagine a future where bodies can exist freely. Highly visual with an accompanying immersive soundscape, it is inspired by cruising as a social and communal practice, reimagining the city as a space that can be open, intimate, and safe.

Personal archives that trace creators Silvia and Ilenia’s relationship are woven together with the lives of their peers in the queer resistance movement of New York in the 70s and 80s. Shifting between memory and longing, the performance asks how past intimacies, collective living, and unresolved struggles might help us imagine a shared, more inclusive future.

 

‘A radical triumph’ The Skinny

‘One of the most interesting (and necessary) creative partnerships in the Italian scene‘ Rolling Stone Italia

 

Gallery

A dark concrete room with a dim blue light shining through it. There is a crack in the back wall through which light floods in. An arm is lying through the crack, connected to a body that is lying partially obscured on the other side of the wall. The body is wearing a white top with red marks on it.
View 4 images
An older man with grey hair and a large moustache is lying on his front in a blue short-sleeved shirt. His face is propped up by one hand as he stares outwards. He’s surrounded by people who are mostly out of shot. There is one person in a white top whose back we can see, and another person’s leg is visible wearing a blue and white stripy sock.
A white person is stood with their back to the camera, their top lifted over their head as if they are mid-way through taking it off. They aren’t wearing any other clothes, and we can see down to the top of their bottom. They are facing some large stage lights on tripods.
people are crouched over, facing outwards from each other with their bottoms together. They are mostly naked with their trousers at their ankles and their tops pulled over their heads. Next to them is a large piece of card that is freestanding, arranged in a curving s-shape running alongside them. 

Biographies

Silvia Calderoni and Ilenia Caleo

Silvia Calderoni is an actress and performer. She started developing artistically from a very young age with the theatre company Teatro Valdoca. She has been an active member of the Motus company since 2006.

Ilenia Caleo is a performer, activist and researcher. Her research focuses on bodies, feminist epistemologies, experimentation in performing arts and new cultural institutions.

Credits

A project by Silvia Calderoni and Ilenia Caleo

Performers Tony Allotta, Silvia Calderoni, Ilenia Caleo, Nico Guerzoni, Gabriele Lepera, Fedra Morini, and Ondina Quadri 

Production Management Elisa Bartolucci

Dramaturgical Advice Anna Antonia Ferrante, and many friends

Co-production Azienda Speciale Palaexpo (Mattatoio), Progetto Prender-si Cura, Kampnagel (Hamburg), Kunstencentrum Vooruit vzw (Ghent), Motus Vague  

With thanks to Leonardo Cruciano, Michele Di Stefano, Paola Granato, Simona Gallo 

Supported by progetto residenze coreografiche Lavanderia a Vapore (Torino).

With additional support from The Italian Cultural Institute, London

Access

PRE EVENT INFORMATION

This event takes place in person in our Council Chamber. This space is on the first floor, with step-free access via a lift.

If you have booked a ticket you will receive an email from us before your performance detailing important information about your visit.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT/COMPANION TICKETS

If you require the assistance of a friend or helper to attend, we can make a free ticket available for your companion. You can book access companion tickets online or contact the Box Office to book by emailing boxoffice@bac.org.uk.

To book a free access companion online:

  • log in to your account here
  • go to ‘Other preferences’ and tick ‘I require a personal assistant/companion’.
  • Choose the performance, date and seats you would like and if you add at least 2 tickets to your basket, then one of these will automatically become free.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

There will be an Audio Described performance on Friday 27 March at 7:30pm.

Content

  • Flashing lights
  • Moments of complete darkness
  • Loud or sudden music/sounds
  • Nudity

This performance is not relaxed, meaning latecomers will not be admitted into the space after the show starts.

VISIT OUR ACCESS PAGE

 

We want our shows to be as accessible to as many people as possible.

We offer tickets to most shows on a Pay What You Can basis throughout the year.

Tickets for Council Chamber performances in 2026 start at £9.50, and we have recommended pricing to help you choose a price that works for you.

We know that ticket price is a huge barrier for some. If you can afford to pay the recommended price or more, choosing to do so supports those that can’t. It makes it possible for us to continue to offer Pay What You Can and welcome those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.

Pay What You Can Logo: Black Text on White Backdrop
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