SIZE OF COMPANY
Varies

SCALE OF VENUE
Small- to middle-scale

PERMANENT STAFF
Shunt Artists
Serena Bobowski
Gemma Brockis
Lizzie Clachan
Louise Mari
Hannah Ringham
Andrew Roland
Layla Rosa
David Rosenberg
Mischa Twitchin
Heather Uprichard

General Manager
Luke Cooper

ARTISTIC POLICY
Shunt is a collective of artists who have been working together for 10 years on site-specific shows that aim to question the rigid boundaries between audience and performance. The collective’s home is a vast labyrinth of railway arches under London Bridge station. Its current project, The Shunt Lounge, is an amazing bar where Shunt Artists work as individuals creating and showing their work and also curate work from the wider artistic community. The work of the artists from the collective represents their diverse interests and skills, including aerial work, performance and installations. Their individual shows will be available to tour throughout 2008.

REVIEW EXTRACTS
‘Radical, original, incredible.’ Time Out (Tropicana)

'Thrillingly inventive' Independent on Sunday (Tropicana)

'A work of genius…I remember every moment vividly. Knock-out.' Independent on Sunday (Ether Frolics)

'Ours is not to reason why, only to imbibe this strange, unforgettable spectacle in giddy wonder' Daily Telegraph (Ether Frolics)

CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
Hide Collaboration between Shunt Artist Lizzie Clachan and Glen Neath exploring everyday encounters, making voyeurs of the audience by isolating them in individual booths. Spying from a hidden vantage point and listening on headphones, they eavesdrop on a series of provocative encounters played out in a busy public environment. Can be presented in any language. (3 x 4 min plays, 3 performers, 5 on the road.)

Pinocchio Created and performed by Shunt Artist Gemma Brockis and Silvia Mercuriali, Pinocchio is a travelling site-specific show for an audience of three that takes place in a car driving through the city. The view of the world outside is transformed by the story and sounds within the car. (45 mins, 2 on the road, up to 3 performances a night.)

What if…? By Layla Rosa. Aerial movement, moving image and physical feats collide with audio, video and vocals to create a unique theatrical performance, illusion and installation. (60 mins approx, suitable for a variety of spaces at a variety of lengths, 5 on the road.)

Mudman By Louise Mari. Mudman is a series of calculated, visually arresting attacks on one unassuming naked man. Performances are unannounced and suitable for a variety of venues. (15 mins approx, 3 on the road.)

An Evening Inside Andrew Roland Prawns, psychotherapy and giant props... a journey into a confused individual. Andrew Roland, Shunt sound designer, performer and fake food enthusiast, walks the audience through his life, trying to understand how he got to where he is now. (40 mins approx, 1 performer, 3 on the road, can be staged in various studio and cabaret spaces.)

The Awkwardness Project By Serena Bobowski in collaboration with Hank Bloomer. A collection of interactive performances and installations exploring the theme of awkwardness. Designed for a bar or club setting. (4–9 on the road, flexible scale and duration on demand.)

The Pianist By Mischa Twitchin. The Pianist is a non-verbal installation performance giving visual and aural echo to Wladislaw Szpilman’s memoir. It has no technical requirements beyond a CD player and PA, and a complete blackout. (10 mins, 1 performer, 2 on the road.)

Reading Clausewitz; Postcards from Vienna By Mischa Twitchin. Performance with projected images, pre-recorded sound montage, and live speech. Technically it requires a projector and wall (or screen), and CD player and PA. (10 mins, 1 performer, 2 on the road.)

The Pigeon By Hannah Ringham. A poem without rhyme or metre – or any of those qualities normally associated with a poem… there is music, however, in the form of a live DJ set by a musician. (45 mins approx, 1 on stage, 5 on the road.)

Newscasters By Heather Uprichard A darkly humorous piece of new writing performed within a lounge bar setting. The piece explores the impact the human ego has upon our construction and consumption of the news. (60 mins approx with breaks, 4–6 on the road, available from March 2008.)

Is Anybody There? By Heather Uprichard. The characters of this funny and compelling play tread the boards and a few of life’s larger philosophical questions with an approach that is as disparate as their costumes. (60 mins no interval, 6–9 on the road, available from August 2008.)

FUTURE PRODUCTION
Contains Violence By David Rosenberg. ‘A light turns on in a window, a blind goes up and then you are behind the glass, behind the desk, sliding open the drawers, inside the head, the head that is about to jerk back, you are him and at times you are her.’ The piece is communicated through sets of radio headphones worn by the audience. (45 mins, 2 performers, 4 on the road.)

TOURING AVAILABILITY
Details on request