SIZE OF COMPANY
3–13 on the road

SCALE OF VENUE
Middle-scale
Some small-scale productions

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

General Manager
Matt Burman

Administrator
Eileen Evans

Marketing Manager
Rachel Thorne

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 all of its own to discuss contemporary life in its joys and complexities and to explore the relationship between audience and performer. It makes work which 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
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. (120 mins, 8 on stage, 11 on the road, contains strong language and nudity)

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

Exquisite Pain (from a text by Sophie Calle). 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)

Other performances from the company’s repertoire may be available on request.

FUTURE PRODUCTION
A new middle-scale production will be created in 2007/08 Work-in-progress performances in October 2007; premiere in May/June 2008.

WRAP-AROUND ACTIVITY
Workshops/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
2006 Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Portugal
2005 Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, USA

TOURING AVAILABILITY
Details on request.