In this book Tomasz Wisniewski explores the roots, techniques, methodologies and influences of Complicite´s performances without attempting to codify either its international spirit or the plurality of its styles. Granted unprecedented access to the Complicite archives, Dr. Wisniewski has crafted a sensitive, deeply penetrating, yet accessible analysis of one of the most dynamic, intelligent, and regenerative theatre companies of our time. I would certainly recommend it to theatre historians and practitioners as at least one model of how theatre remains a vital force in 21st century culture. - S. E. Gontarski, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of English, Florida State University, USA
Wisniewski presents us with a careful and comprehensive discussion of one of the most innovative theater companies working anywhere in the world today. His is a landmark study that is both assertive and accessible. Like Complicite itself, he helpsus recognize and celebrate nothing less than the endless potential of the theatrical imagination itself. - Enoch Brater, Kenneth T. Rowe Collegiate Professor of Dramatic Literature, University of Michigan, USA
Through a combination of impeccable theatre research and perceptive critical analysis, this book opens a window onto one of Britain´s most consistently creative theatre companies. - Kenneth Pickering, Honorary Professor of Drama, University of Kent, UK
This book presents a pioneering critical study of Complicite´s work throughout the years. Drawing on an extensive overview of the available research material - including interviews, manuscripts and the company´s own archive - the book is framed within a clearly defined research perspective and explores the singularity of theatre communication. The book results from an encounter between the London-based - but cosmopolitan in scope - company, and a fresh application of the form-oriented scholarship of EasternEurope, Yuri Lotman´s semiosphere in particular. Focused on the aesthetics of Complicite, this study achieves a critical distance and undertakes multidimensional scrutiny of the available research material. By identifying the principles of Complicite´s aesthetics, the book attempts to grasp the company´s artistic paradigm. It focuses on ways of creating, preserving, and decoding meanings, rather than on the nuances of performance or contextual issues.
