SIZE OF COMPANY
1 on the road (with additional performers if necessary)

SCALE OF VENUE
Small- to middle-scale

PERMANENT STAFF
Artist/Performer
Joshua Sofaer

Producer
Ayla Suvaren

ARTISTIC POLICY
Joshua Sofaer is an artist who is centrally concerned with modes of collaboration and participation. Often with an irreverent use of humour, he plays with established forms of production, appropriating and reconfiguring the chat show, competition, lecture, or museum display. He acts as curator, producer or director of a broad range of projects, including large-scale events, intimate performances, and publications.

REVIEW EXTRACTS
‘Wickedly well-observed.’ Real Time Magazine (World in One City)

‘Scavengers encouraged participants to engage with art in a purposeful way – and even to become artists themselves.' New Statesman (Scavengers)

‘It’s enough to give you sweaty palms.’ ID Magazine (Name in Lights)

CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
Scavengers City-wide scavenger hunt and exhibition with full audience participation, cabaret and cash-prize, running over several days. Devised for the opening or closing of festivals. Fully multi-lingual, working with performers from host country. (2 days, 2 main performers plus assistants, 12 on stage, 2 on the road, suitable for a large gallery or theatre space, DVD on request.)

World in One City An international language tour in entirely fake foreign languages. Fully adaptable to local context. No translation issues. (Duration between 15–30 mins, suitable for festival or exhibition context, 1 performer and no technical set-up, DVD available on request.)

Name in Lights Whose name would you like to see in lights and why? National competition and major site-specific installation to see the winner’s name in a giant illuminated sign. (Variable duration, large local technical team required.)

We’re Here to Help Offering ourselves to the city citizens in whatever capacity they need us. Performance troupe as social trouble shooters. Can operate in any language with local performers. (Variable duration but suggested at 1 week, workshop and exhibition space required, 10 local performers engaged.)

Any Questions? Two performers ask the audience if they have any questions. Only suitable for English-speaking audiences. (Variable duration, 2 on stage, 2 on the road, suitable for gallery or small theatre space.)

The Performance Pack A ready-made kit containing all the materials needed to develop a lecture-based performance. Only suitable for English-speaking audiences. (80 mins, 1 on the road, suitable for a small seminar room or theatre space.)

FUTURE PRODUCTIONS
Getting To Know You A new piece about the audience themselves – somewhere between a chat show and a therapy session. A Live Art UK Commission. (Premieres in Liverpool, March 2008.)

The Future is Staring You in the Face A piece which predicts the lives of the citizen’s of the city where it is performed. A Free University/HAU Commission. (Premieres in Berlin, June 2008.)

The Many Headed Monster A performance lecture and lecture pack on the audience of contemporary performance. Produced by Live Art Development Agency. (Premieres in London, September 2008.)

WRAP-AROUND
Joshua Sofaer is a highly experienced workshop facilitator and all productions have the potential for attached wrap-around activity, ranging from an informal post-performance discussion to a two-week intensive workshop. Recent intensive workshops include: Self-sign: The Artist as Material, for acting students at the Norwegian Theatre Academy in Fredrikstad, and We’re Here to Help, a socially engaged site-specific performance for members of the general public at La Casa Encendida, Madrid. The productions Scavengers and We’re Here to Help also have the possibility for local student performer involvement.

RECENT INTERNATIONAL WORK
2007 Czech Republic (The Performance Pack), Spain (We’re Here to Help)
2006 USA (Scavengers)
2005 Finland (The Monologue Machines), Norway (Any Questions?), Switzerland (The Monologue Machines)

TOURING AVAILABILITY
Details on request