WHAT DO YOU DO, DAN?
I create new work for theatre about the world we find ourselves in. The stories I tell interrogate our choices about how we live together in this world. With jokes.
You are my guests. I take my responsibilities as a host seriously, so we'll break the ice, get a bit drunk, swap anecdotes, run out of snacks and end up discussing philosophy at 5am. You'll leave the party as the sun comes up newly optimistic about what's possible in the world. As you walk home afterwards through the city, you'll see a fox, and you'll reflect on how different its life is from yours, and on how much your perspective on the world has shifted since yesterday. Or maybe it hasn't, but hell, what a good night.
The scripts for my shows have spaces that can only be filled by the audience. Creating those spaces is fundamental to writing the script. The structure is crafted with care, but there's always space for the present moment to break into it. Don't be alarmed. You don't have to do anything you don't want to.
I don’t know whether theatre can change the world, but if I act as if it can’t, it definitely won’t. We're all part of history, which means all of us can change it.
OK. BUT WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY *DO*?
I write, direct and perform.
If you've seen me before, the chances are you've seen one of the touring theatre pieces, like The Price of Everything, How to Occupy an Oil Rig, Going Viral, or Instructions for Border Crossing. These, I write and perform.
Or you might have seen one of my shows for young audiences, like Error 404 (which I wrote and performed) or Full of Noises (which I wrote and directed).
The longest-standing element of my practice is directing. These days I most often do that for other writer-performers, helping them to realise their work. Occasionally I get let loose on a family Christmas show, or a Big Play.
You might even have seen one of my large-scale participatory shows. These shows are made for and with communities in specific places, usually places that don't get much by way of theatre and performance. These tend to be performed in non-theatre spaces in the place the work is about. So they tend to fly under the radar a bit more, not touring, not attracting the attention of the national press, and generally being ignored - as is the case with many of the most important things.
OK. BUT IS IT ANY GOOD?
Yes. My shows have won multiple awards and have toured internationally.
And don't just take my word for it:
"One of the most astute and stylish contemporary theatremakers around" - The Stage
"I think Dan may have invented a whole new form of theatre" - Erica Whyman, Deputy Artistic Director, RSC
"The future of British theatre - The Times
"Extraordinarily complex within a deceptively simple format. [...] A genuine exchange between performer and audience" - The Guardian
"Almost no limit to the political resonances of this apparently light-touch show." - Scotsman
"Captivating and illuminating." - The Independent
"Smartly and subtly plays with our ideas." - Financial Times
"Bye engages and implicates us with unaffected, infectious directness." - The Guardian
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
I've made the mistake of answering that question on this page before, and the next time I checked it was two years out of date. You can find upcoming tour dates on my home page and I may drop occasional hints on my blog.
YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT PERSON
I'm just surprised you're still here.
I create new work for theatre about the world we find ourselves in. The stories I tell interrogate our choices about how we live together in this world. With jokes.
You are my guests. I take my responsibilities as a host seriously, so we'll break the ice, get a bit drunk, swap anecdotes, run out of snacks and end up discussing philosophy at 5am. You'll leave the party as the sun comes up newly optimistic about what's possible in the world. As you walk home afterwards through the city, you'll see a fox, and you'll reflect on how different its life is from yours, and on how much your perspective on the world has shifted since yesterday. Or maybe it hasn't, but hell, what a good night.
The scripts for my shows have spaces that can only be filled by the audience. Creating those spaces is fundamental to writing the script. The structure is crafted with care, but there's always space for the present moment to break into it. Don't be alarmed. You don't have to do anything you don't want to.
I don’t know whether theatre can change the world, but if I act as if it can’t, it definitely won’t. We're all part of history, which means all of us can change it.
OK. BUT WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY *DO*?
I write, direct and perform.
If you've seen me before, the chances are you've seen one of the touring theatre pieces, like The Price of Everything, How to Occupy an Oil Rig, Going Viral, or Instructions for Border Crossing. These, I write and perform.
Or you might have seen one of my shows for young audiences, like Error 404 (which I wrote and performed) or Full of Noises (which I wrote and directed).
The longest-standing element of my practice is directing. These days I most often do that for other writer-performers, helping them to realise their work. Occasionally I get let loose on a family Christmas show, or a Big Play.
You might even have seen one of my large-scale participatory shows. These shows are made for and with communities in specific places, usually places that don't get much by way of theatre and performance. These tend to be performed in non-theatre spaces in the place the work is about. So they tend to fly under the radar a bit more, not touring, not attracting the attention of the national press, and generally being ignored - as is the case with many of the most important things.
OK. BUT IS IT ANY GOOD?
Yes. My shows have won multiple awards and have toured internationally.
And don't just take my word for it:
"One of the most astute and stylish contemporary theatremakers around" - The Stage
"I think Dan may have invented a whole new form of theatre" - Erica Whyman, Deputy Artistic Director, RSC
"The future of British theatre - The Times
"Extraordinarily complex within a deceptively simple format. [...] A genuine exchange between performer and audience" - The Guardian
"Almost no limit to the political resonances of this apparently light-touch show." - Scotsman
"Captivating and illuminating." - The Independent
"Smartly and subtly plays with our ideas." - Financial Times
"Bye engages and implicates us with unaffected, infectious directness." - The Guardian
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
I've made the mistake of answering that question on this page before, and the next time I checked it was two years out of date. You can find upcoming tour dates on my home page and I may drop occasional hints on my blog.
YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT PERSON
I'm just surprised you're still here.
