SohoCreate Festival 2016

The world's most creative square mile will host world class creatives this June as the biggest movers and shakers from arts and culture share their skills in a series of live talks, debates and performances for the SohoCreate Festival 2016.

Now in its third year, SohoCreate aims to celebrate ‘the most creative square mile in the world', SohoCreate Festival champions the innovation and artistry that makes London, and particularly W1, so vibrant.

While last year's star-studded event included the likes of Ms Dynamite and Speech DeBelle, it looks as though the embers may have cooled somewhat for this year's festival. Instead of just discussing achievements – whether it's film, theatre, music or food – the speakers will focus more closely on the industry, and aim to show you how it's done by sharing the ideas and processes behind their success.

Innovation and artistry underline the third annual festival. Founder and CEO of SohoCreate, Tom Harvey, describes the festival as the only event like it for those in the industry: "If you work in a creative job or would like to, then Soho is the place to be in the first week of June."



Pick of the week's best talks:

Monday 6th
How did I get here? That's the question novelists Meg Rosoff and Esther Freud and filmmaker, novelist and Radio 4 Arts Commissioner James Runcie will be asking themselves at the start of the festival, revealing the secrets behind how they graduated from 'making it' to 'made it'.

Tuesday 7th
Shylock, Shakespeare's unsavoury Jewish moneylender, might be the most contentious character in literary history, so it's fair to call Howard Jacobson's latest novel, Shylock Is My Name, provocative for its reimagining of the infamous antagonist. We can't wait to hear about it in conversation with front row presenter Mark Lawson.

Wednesday 8th
What's next for the fashion industry? Here's a chance to hear fashion giants Henry Holland and Patrick Grant talking about the hard graft to the top.

Thursday 9th
Simon Stephens seems to be writing everything on the London stage right now (ok, not quite everything) so he'll be worth listening to in this talk about the evolution of ideas and how to make something that works, alongside Amy director Asif Kapadia and architect of the infamous Lord's media centre Amanda Levete.

Friday 10th
What does the past 25 years of theatre tell us about the next 25 years? Four of our very best directors will debate the future of theatre: the Royal Court's longest serving artistic director Max Stafford-Clark, associate director of the London Olympics opening ceremony Paulette Randall, The Tricycle artistic director Indu Rubasingham and Soho Theatre artistic director Steve Marmion.