A world premiere performance is set to open the Together! 2017 disability history month festival in Stratford and East Ham on Monday.

Newham Recorder: The Together! 2017 Festival opening in Stratford on Monday, till December. Picture: Together 2012The Together! 2017 Festival opening in Stratford on Monday, till December. Picture: Together 2012 (Image: Together 2012)

Unicorn, a solo performance by Anjali Dance Company member Lauren Payne, portrays the hidden strength and purity of a woman.

Other highlights of the festival featuring disabled performers include a visual poetry exhibition, pop-up poetry café and pantomime at Stratford Circus arts centre.

Social enterprise Together!, a community interest company set up in 2012 to create a Paralympic cultural legacy, organises the festival.

It also arranges a year-round programme of free arts activities for disabled people and is working to make east London into an international centre of excellence for disabiity arts.

Newham Recorder: Coming face to face... at the Together! Festival. Picture: Together 2012Coming face to face... at the Together! Festival. Picture: Together 2012 (Image: Together 2012)

Workshops will be held alongside a film festival, theatre and dance performances at the eight-week arts showcase.

Together! 2017 runs from Monday October 23 to Friday December 15 in various venues. Unless specified, all events are free and open to everyone.

Festival line-up

Friday, November 17: Festival opening event with visual poetry exhibition by Newcastle-based artist gobscure, 6-8pm, East Ham public library.

Saturday and Sunday, November 18/19: Together! Pop-Up Poetry café, performances at 1pm and 3pm, Museum of London Docklands Maritime Festival.

Saturday, November 25: Aliens street art, Gallions Reach Shopping Park.

Friday, December 1: Exhibition with performances from the Together! music club. 7-9pm, Vicarage Lane community centre.

Saturday, December 2: Paracarnival parade through Stratford.

Sunday, December 3, 4pm and 7pm: The Jingle Book pantomime by Blue Sky Actors, Stratford Circus.

Thursday and Friday, December 7/8: Filmmaking workshop for disabled filmmakers, 11am-4pm.

Friday, December 8 (6-8pm), Saturday and Sunday December 9/10 (12-8pm) Disability film festival, Old Town Hall Stratford.

Friday, December 15: End of festival party with performances including a reading by Penny Pepper, Together! 2012 Writer-in-residence, 7-9pm, Vicarage Lane community centre.