Punchdrunk has announced The Punchdrunk Encyclopaedia, the definitive book on the company’s work to date, which will be released to mark eighteen years of Punchdrunk’s existence.
Written by Jo Machon along with the Punchdrunk team and published by Routledge, it will provide the first full-scale, historical account of one of the world’s foremost theatre companies, drawn from the collective memory and archives of the core creative team past and present.
Compiled in playful encyclopaedic format, just like the company’s mask shows readers are invited to make their own journey through the book, and explore the concepts and context that form the foundation of Punchdrunk’s work.
The book features writing from past collaborators and friends such as Adam Curtis, Lyn Gardner and Nicholas Hytner alongside core creatives including Felix Barrett, Stephen Dobbie, Maxine Doyle, Peter Higgin, Beatrice Minns, Colin Nightingale and Livi Vaughan. A series of exercises also offer guidance on how to delve deeper into the company’s creative approaches.
From first ever production The Tempest to Masque of the Red Death and Sleep No More, The Punchdrunk Encyclopaedia charts the company’s rise and evolution over the past eighteen years. It is suitable for anyone with an interest in the company’s work.
The book will be released on Friday 14th December but is available to pre-order now here.
