General FAQs

I would be interested to work with Complicite as a performer / technician / crew etc. How should I apply?

We cast through casting agents and by association. However, you can send in your CV, photo and a cover letter at any time and we will keep your details on file and contact you if we think you might be suitable for something. Please contact the Administrative Assistant at our address.

I would be interested to do a work placement / internship / work experience with Complicite. Who should I write to?

Whilst there is no formal internship programme, you are welcome to send your CV and cover letter explaining your interest and availability to the Administrative Assistant. Please note that we are often not able to offer work placements.

I am interested in staging one of Complicite's devised productions. Do I have to get permission from Complicite to do this?

Yes. Write to the Assistant to the Producer with details of your proposed production, explaining whether you intend the production to be public or private - e.g. within a school/college - where and when you plan to stage it, etc.

Can I interview Simon McBurney or anyone else? Can I come and watch a rehearsal?

We regret that we generally do not grant interviews with Simon McBurney or with anyone else in the company. You may well discover that many of the interview questions that you have in mind have been answered already in the interviews published on this website (see 'Simon McBurney on directing' in the About Us pages), and also see the reading list in the FAQ section for some ideas. Please note that all our rehearsals are closed to maintain intimacy and focus.

I am doing some research and would like to know more about Complicite. I have specific questions on Complicite's 'style', approach and way of working.

Unfortunately due to the high demand of people studying theatre and devising, we cannot always help with every specific request for extra information. Please note that since our work is constantly changing, there is no Complicite formula and there are no straight answers or explanations. This website houses a substantial proportion of Complicite's archive. Of special interest for the student or researcher are the follwing areas: About Us/ Reviews: an 'overview' of the company by Lyn Gardner for the Guardian; a celebration of the company by theatre professionals interviewed by Dominic Cavendish for the Telegraph; Simon McBurney on directing. Productions/ Index: a profile of each Complicite show with blurb, photographic documentation and a section called Reviews & Quotes in which critics and insiders comment on the productions. About Us/ Who's Who: a resource for discovering who our associates and collaborators are and what they get up to when they aren't working with us. Some archive material for Complicite/ National Theatre co-productions and for Complicite productions that visited the National Theatre (A Minute Too Late, The Visit, The Street of Crocodiles, Out of a house walked a man..., The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Mnemonic) is held at the National Theatre Archive. Material includes publicity and press, rehearsal, production and set photographs, prompt scripts and costume files. The archive also holds audio-recordings of Platform Performances given by Simon McBurney in 1991 and 1994. You can discover more about the National Theatre Archive by visiting the National Theatre website (link: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk) To make an appointment to view any item in the National Theatre Archive at 1-3 Brixton Road, London SW9 6DE, call +44 (0)20 7820 3512. The archive is open Monday to Friday between 10am and 5pm.

Where can I watch video recordings of Complicite productions?

The Theatre Museum holds the only entire video archive of our work. You can visit their website (link: www.vam.ac.uk/tco/video_project/index.html) to view a list of recordings of Complicite productions made by the Theatre Museum. These recordings constitute a part of the National Video Archive of Stage Performance. In addition, the museum holds Complicite recordings of A Minute Too Late, Burning Ambition, Anything For a Quiet Life, My Army Parts I and II, Help! I'm Alive, The Visit, The Late Show: The Street of Crocodiles, The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol, Foe, The Noise of Time, BBC Broadcast: The Noise of Time, Mnemonic and The Elephant Vanishes. To make an appointment to view a video in the Theatre Museum's reading room, located at Blythe House in Kensington Olympia, please phone + 44 (0) 20 7943 4727 or send an e-mail to tmenquires@vam.ac.uk The reading room is open from Tuesday to Friday between 10.15am and 4.30pm. We regret that videos cannot be bought or borrowed from or viewed at Complicite.

Where can I read more about Complicite?

The following books might prove useful: Directing the Stage, Polly Irvin, RotoVision, 2002. Includes an interview with Simon McBurney. On Directing, Interviews with Directors, edited by Gabriella Giannachi and Mary Luckhurst, Faber and Faber, 1999. Includes an interview with Simon McBurney. Live 1: Food for the Soul, interviews by David Tushingham, Methuen, 1994. Includes an interview with Simon McBurney. In thinking particularly about the British theatrical context for Complicite's work, you might look at: theatre@risk, Michael Kustow, Methuen, 2000. Changing Stages, Richard Eyre and Nicholas Wright, Bloomsbury, 2000. The Complicite Office has a limited number of 'work packs' for sale made for our productions of The Street of Crocodiles, The Caucasian Chalk Circle and The Chairs. We can also provide a copy of Steven Canny's rehearsal diary for our production Light, which provides an insight into the rehearsal process. Please email or write to the Administrative Assistant to apply for copies of any of these. There is an online work pack for Measure for Measure on this website (in Productions/ Index/ Measure for Measure). Through the office, you can also buy Complicite: Plays 1, Methuen, 2003. This is an anthology of The Street of Crocodiles, The Three Lives of Lucie Carbrol and Mnemonic, introduced by Simon McBurney and with production stills. We also have a limited number of individual playtexts for other shows. Please email or write to us for details of merchandise prices and postage and packing costs.

I have exhausted all of these resources and still have more questions! What shall I do now?

Email or write to us, making your questions as specific as possible, and we will do our best to help. Please note that we are a very small administrative team and, at busy times, we may not be able to respond as quickly as we would like to.

Open Workshop FAQs

Is taking part in an Open Workshop a way of getting yourself seen for potential future casting?

Our teaching workshops have nothing to do with casting for our productions, but they are a good way of finding out more about the way in which we work. All our productions and projects are approached differently so we are always open to meeting new people and taking part in a teaching workshop is obviously one way of us meeting you. Casting for our productions is done by invitation through casting agents and associates.

I would like to find out more about your work but can't afford to take part in an Open Workshop. Can I just come and observe?

Unfortunately not - as for all our rehearsals, the Open Workshops are closed to maintain intimacy and focus. If you are unable to afford to apply, we offer a few subsidised places on each workshop series.

I applied but did not get a place on an Open Workshop. If I want to apply again for a future series, how can I improve my chances of getting a place?

Often the Open Workshops are over-subscribed and we are unable to offer everyone a place. We aim to limit the groups to approx. 20 people. The selection process is done by the teachers themselves. Different Complicite teachers have different priorities and often these also depend on the subject/content of the particular workshop they are teaching. Failing to get a place on an Open Workshop is often more a case of chance of who else applies and what the overall group dynamic might be.

Teaching FAQs

I am interested in booking a Complicite associate performer/teacher for a workshop/presentation. How do I go about this?

Send an email to the Administrative Assistant. Please bear in mind that all our performers work on a freelance basis so we cannot always guarantee that we will be able to offer a suitable teacher for your needs, but we will always try to help.

Can workshops be pitched to suit any age or level of participant?

Yes. Most Complicite teachers feel more comfortable teaching people of 16+, however this is not fixed and we are open to teaching anyone interested, but mostly teenagers upwards. Much of our teaching is to professional performers, teachers, degree level students and other professionals. Please note that whatever the age of participants, it is important that all participants for a particular workshop are of similar age or level of experience, from beginner to professionally trained performer, so that the workshop can be pitched to suit all. Please note that participants should be aware that Complicite workshops are physical and therefore less suitable for participants who are restricted in movement, whatever their level of experience.

How many participants can you have in a workshop?

This is flexible - we can coordinate presentations and demonstrations to large numbers, but smaller more intimate workshops are of most benefit to participants. Most Complicite teachers prefer working with groups of approx 15 - 20 people. The number of participants should also be reflective of the space in which you propose to host the workshop, bearing in mind that participants will need room to move around.