Punchdrunk
Encyclopedia
The company's artistic director is Felix Barrett and its executive director is Colin Marsh. Company members include associate director and choreographer Maxine Doyle, enrichment director Peter Higgin, producer Colin Nightingale, sound and graphic designer Stephen Dobbie and design associates Livi Vaughan and Bea Minns.
Innovations
In a Punchdrunk production, audience members are free to roam the performance site, which can be as large as a five-story industrial warehouse, and can either follow the performers and themes (any of them, for there are usually multiple threads at any particular point in time), or simply explore the world of the performance, treating the production as a large art installation. Former Secretary of State for Culture James PurnellJames Purnell
James Mark Dakin Purnell is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde from 2001 to 2010. He is currently the Head of the Open Left project at the left leaning think tank Demos...
cited Punchdrunk as an example of "access and excellence" in modern British theatre.
History of productions
- The Cherry OrchardThe Cherry OrchardThe Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
(2000)
- The House of OedipusOedipus the KingOedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...
(2000)
- The Moonslave (2000)
- Johnny Formidable: Mystery at the Pink Flamingo (2001)
- Midsummer Night's Dream (2002)
- ChairLes ChaisesLes Chaises is an absurdist "tragic farce" by Eugene Ionesco. It was written in 1952 and debuted the same year.- Plot :The play concerns two characters, known as Old Man and Old Woman, frantically preparing chairs for a series of invisible guests who are coming to hear an orator reveal the old...
(2002)
- As part of The Deptford X Festival of Contemporary Art this adaptation of Eugene IonescoEugène IonescoEugène Ionesco was a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd...
's play Les ChaisesLes ChaisesLes Chaises is an absurdist "tragic farce" by Eugene Ionesco. It was written in 1952 and debuted the same year.- Plot :The play concerns two characters, known as Old Man and Old Woman, frantically preparing chairs for a series of invisible guests who are coming to hear an orator reveal the old...
(or The Chairs), was performed in the Old Seager Distillery in DeptfordDeptfordDeptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
.- The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
(2003)
- The Tempest
- The Old Seagar Distillery was once again used by Punchdrunk for this adaptation of Shakespeare's The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
. The production used five floors of the warehouse to create a dark vision of Prospero's island.- Sleep No More (2003, 2009-10, 2011)
- Punchdrunk transformed the Beaufoy Building in London, an old Victorian school to tell the story of MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
in the style of a HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
thriller, using reworked musicFilm scoreA film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
from the soundtrack of classic Hitchcock films.
- In 2009-2010, Punchdrunk reinvented Sleep No More, in an expanded versionSleep No More (2009 play)Sleep No More is an immersive theatre production created by British theatre company Punchdrunk. Based on Punchdrunk's original 2003 London production, the company reinvented Sleep No More in a co-production with the American Repertory Theatre , which opened at the Old Lincoln School in Brookline,...
, in association with the American Repertory TheatreAmerican Repertory TheatreThe American Repertory Theater is a professional not-for-profit theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to neglected works of the past; and to established classical texts...
. It won Punchdrunk the Elliot Norton Theatre Award for Best Theatrical Experience 2010.
- In December, 2010 it was announced that Punchdrunk would reinvent "Sleep No More" in New York City's Chelsea district in a former nightclub space. The first performance of this brand new production took place on 7 March 2011 at 530 W 27th Street, New York, New York 10001.
- WoyzeckWoyzeckWoyzeck is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. He left the work incomplete at his death, but it has been variously and posthumously "finished" by a variety of authors, editors and translators. Woyzeck has become one of the most performed and influential plays in the German theatre...
(2004)
- At the 2004 Big Chill Music FestivalThe Big Chill (music festival)The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...
Punchdrunk presented an immersive adaptation of Georg BuchnerGeorg BüchnerKarl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
's WoyzeckWoyzeckWoyzeck is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. He left the work incomplete at his death, but it has been variously and posthumously "finished" by a variety of authors, editors and translators. Woyzeck has become one of the most performed and influential plays in the German theatre...
.- The Firebird BallThe FirebirdThe Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
(2005)
- The Firebird Ball
- A production inspired jointly by Shakespeare'sWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
and Stravinsky'sIgor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
The FirebirdThe FirebirdThe Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
. The production took place at Offley Works, a disused factory in south London.- Marat/SadeMarat/SadeThe Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade , almost invariably shortened to Marat/Sade, is a 1963 play by Peter Weiss...
(2005)
- Marat/Sade
- Appearing again at the 2005 Big Chill Music FestivalThe Big Chill (music festival)The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...
, Punchdrunk created a treatment of the Peter WeissPeter WeissPeter Ulrich Weiss was a German writer, painter, and artist of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays Marat/Sade and The Investigation and his novel The Aesthetics of Resistance....
play The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade.- FaustGoethe's FaustJohann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts: and . Although written as a closet drama, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages...
(2006-7)
- Faust
- Punchdrunk presented Faust from 10th October 2006 until 31st March 2007; an adaption of Goethe's Faust Part OneFaust Part OneFaust: The First Part of the Tragedy is the first part of Goethe's Faust. It was first published in 1808.-Synopsis:The first part of Faust is not divided into acts, but is structured as a sequence of scenes in a variety of settings...
, relocating the action of the play to a small town in 1950s AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which took place across five floors and 150000 sq ft (13,935.5 m²) of a derelict archive building in the London neighborhood of WappingWappingWapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...
. The production won the 2006 Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Designer.- The Masque of the Red DeathThe Masque of the Red Death"The Masque of the Red Death", originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death" , is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague known as the Red Death by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, has a...
(2007-8)
- The Masque of the Red Death
- A co-production by Punchdrunk and BAC, Battersea Arts CentreBattersea Arts CentreThe Battersea Arts Centre is a performance space near Clapham Junction in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth that specialises in music and theatre productions.-History:...
, Masque of the Red DeathMasque of the Red DeathMasque of the Red Death is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, named after the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name. The setting was published after the release of the Ravenloft campaign setting and is regarded as an add-on for that line...
was inspired by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's stories and ran at Battersea Old Town Hall from 5th October 2007 until 12th April 2008. While each performance culminated in a ball scene, Friday and Saturday night performances were followed by Red Death Lates, an elaborate afterpartyAfterpartyThe term afterparty, after-party, or after party refers to a phenomenon in modern culture often seen in the hospitality or entertainment industries and among college and high-school circles in society, which involves a planned celebration following a significant event attended by guests associated...
with interactive performance, celebrity guests, live bands and cabaret.- Tunnel 228 (2009)
- A collaboration with the Old VicOld VicThe Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
theatre, in the abandoned tunnels beneath London's Waterloo station.- It Felt Like A KissIt Felt Like A KissIt Felt Like a Kiss is an immersive theatre production, first performed between 2 and 19 July 2009 as part of the second Manchester International Festival, co-produced with the BBC...
(2009)
- It Felt Like A Kiss
- Commissioned by Manchester International Festival, It Felt Like A Kiss was a Punchdrunk collaboration with documentaryDocumentaryA documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
maker Adam CurtisAdam CurtisAdam Curtis is a British BAFTA winning documentarian and a writer, television producer, director and narrator. He works for BBC Current Affairs.-Early life and education:Curtis was born in 1955...
and musician Damon AlbarnDamon AlbarnDamon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
. It Felt Like A Kiss won Punchdrunk the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Best Special Entertainment.- The Duchess of MalfiThe Duchess of MalfiThe Duchess of Malfi is a macabre, tragic play written by the English dramatist John Webster in 1612–13. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, then before a more general audience at The Globe, in 1613-14...
(2010)
- The Duchess of Malfi
- A co-production by Punchdrunk and English National OperaEnglish National OperaEnglish National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
which opened on 13th July 2010 in a vast, decommissioned pharmaceutical headquarters at east London's Albert Dock.- The Crash of the ElysiumThe Crash of the ElysiumThe Crash of the Elysium is a one-hour theatrical work created originally for children by the British company Punchdrunk, centred on the unexplained disappearance of a Victorian steamer named the Elysium and its investigation by the Eleventh Doctor from the television series Doctor Who...
(2011)
- The Crash of the Elysium
- A one-hour show for children aged between 6 and 12, made in collaboration with the television series Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.- Sleep No More NYCSleep No More (2011 theatrical production)Sleep No More is an immersive theatre installation created by British theatre company Punchdrunk based on Punchdrunk's original 2003 London production and their 2009 collaboration with Boston's American Repertory Theatre...
(2011)
- Sleep No More NYC
- A two-and-a-half hour-long performance inspired by Macbeth, set in three abandoned warehouses on West 27th Street in New York City, which are transformed into a 1930's-style hotel called the McKittrick.
- Black DiamondBlack Diamond-Minerals:* Anthracite* Carbonado, a natural diamond that is black in color* A black synthetic diamond, specifically CVD polycrystalline diamonds or HPHT polycrystalline compact diamonds...
(2011)
- Black Diamond
- A travelling performance that took place across 7 venues in East London between July 3rd and September 1st to launch Stella Artois Black.
- And Darkness descended... (2011)
- A site-specific performance that took place in the tunnels beneath Waterloo Station to launch the Playstation game, Resistance 3.