punchdrunk.. faust 2007

PUNCHDRUNK Installation-based performance, Site-specific events, Site-based performance, Promenade installation theatre SIZE OF COMPANY 22–32 on the road SCALE OF VENUE Middle- to large-scale PERMANENT STAFF Artistic Director Felix Barrett Executive Producer Colin Marsh Associate Director Maxine Doyle Director of Operations Colin Nightingale ARTISTIC POLICY Punchdrunk immerses promenade audiences in deeply atmospheric, forgotten locations, conjuring epic theatrical events from classic texts in sympathy with sites. Uniquely, the company’s art form-busting format reinvents the viewer to encounter the anticipation and excitement of the unfamiliar and experience profound sensations of adventure and discovery. To intensify the intimacy of the interaction, viewers wear masks – each individual member of the audience invited to make a personal journey into the unknown. REVIEW EXTRACTS ‘There’s nothing else in British theatre quite like a Punchdrunk show.’ The Times (The Masque of the Red Death) ‘This is the most astonishing event, not just in theatre but in the whole of London.’ The Observer (Faust) ‘Theatre for the interactive age.’ The New York Times (Faust) CURRENT PRODUCTIONS Faust An award-winning, spine-tingling theatrical epic told in breath-taking physical and visual detail. Unfolding layers of simultaneous events are encountered by chance, each character carrying their own account of an interconnected, archetypal tale. (180 mins continuous looped performance, 22 performers, 28 on the road, contains nudity.) The Firebird Ball Large-scale theatre/dance installation of Romeo and Juliet and the Russian myth of The Firebird, for performance in abandoned buildings. (180 mins continuous looped performance, 12 performers, 5-piece band, 23 on the road.) Sleep No More Shakespeare’s Macbeth reconstructed as epic Hitchcock thriller, for performance in any, large disused building. (180 mins continuous looped performance, 12 performers, 4-piece band, 23 on the road.) The Masque of the Red Death A Punchdrunk and BAC production. An immersive theatrical expedition into the ground-breaking recesses of Edgar Allan macabre imagination. (180 mins continuous looped performance, 27 performers, 32 on the road.) WRAP-AROUND Residencies, master classes and practical workshops in site-sympathetic processes, physical text, contact improvisation and installation design for all ages 16+. Opportunities for local artists, student and community volunteers to contribute to design and installation, supporting performing roles and event management. TOURING AVAILABILITY From March 2008