SIZE OF COMPANY
3–13 on the road

SCALE OF VENUE
Small- to large-scale

PERMANENT STAFF
Creative Team
Robin Arthur, Tim Etchells (Artistic Director), Richard Lowdon (Designer), Claire Marshall, Cathy Naden, Terry O’Connor

General Manager
Matt Burman

Administrator
Eileen Evans

ARTISTIC POLICY
Founded in 1984, Forced Entertainment is foremost amongst a group of UK artists working in contemporary performance and theatre. The group has developed a style of its own to discuss contemporary life in its joys and complexities and to explore the relationship between audience and performer. It makes work that is engaging, challenging and surprising, and explores the possibilities of what performance might be.

REVIEW EXTRACTS
'One of the greatest British theatrical exports of the past 20 years... It is [their] ability to smash through the pretences of theatre that has kept the company ahead of the game.' The Guardian

'Pulling the rug from under theatregoers’ feet for 20 years... confounding conventions and exploding audience expectations.' The Times

'A collective with a reputation as one of Europe’s leading experimental companies.' The Big Issue

CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
Bloody Mess A group of disconnected characters, stories and performances combine to create a whole that is intelligent, darkly comic and unexpectedly moving. Contains strong language and nudity. (130 mins, 10 on stage, 13 on the road.)

The World in Pictures A mock-epic theatrical picture-book of the history of man snakes its shambolic and comical way from the cave to shopping mall. Contains strong language and nudity. (120 mins, 8 on stage, 11 on the road.)

Exquisite Pain An extraordinarily intimate performance based on a project by renowned French artist Sophie Calle. About love, loss, and the stories we tell ourselves when things go wrong. (120 mins, 2 on stage, 3 on the road.)

FUTURE PRODUCTIONS
Untitled Premiere May 2008. Contains strong language. (90 mins, 5 on stage, 8 on the road.)

Untitled A new middle-scale production will be created in 2008/09. Contact the company for more information.

WRAP-AROUND
Workshops and talks with company members can be arranged on request; educational videos, text packs, and CD-ROMs for practical work are also available.

RECENT INTERNATIONAL WORK
2007 Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland (The World in Pictures/Exquisite Pain/Bloody Mess)
2006 Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Portugal (Exquisite Pain/Bloody Mess)
2005 Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia (Exquisite Pain/Bloody Mess)

TOURING AVAILABILITY
Details on request