In Conversation With Forced Entertainment
Simon in a gentle conversation with Tim Etchells In there own words We are a group of six artists. We started working together in 1984 and in the many projects we’ve created we’ve tried to explore what theatre and performance can mean in contemporary life. In doing so we’ve made lists, played games, spoken gibberish, stayed silent, made a mess, dressed up, stripped down, confessed to it all, performed magic tricks, told jokes, clowned around, played dead, got drunk, told stories and performed for six, twelve and even 24 hours at a stretch. The work we make is always a kind of conversation or negotiation. We’re interested in making performances that excite, frustrate, challenge, question and entertain. We’re interested in confusion as well as laughter. It’s seriously playful work and we’re still trying to answer our questions about theatre and performance – about what those things might be for us and what kinds of dialogue they can open with contemporary audiences.