CPPM GUEST ARTIST

Lloyd Newson

DV8 Physical Theatre

Workshop
19.-24.05.2025

Open class
24.05.2025 19:00
EMTA black box

LLOYD NEWSON

Lloyd Newson OBE (born 1957) is a director, dancer, and choreographer who has led DV8 Physical Theatre since founding the company in 1986. Originally from Albury, New South Wales, he graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1978 with a degree in psychology and social work. During his studies, he trained with Margaret Lasica’s Modern Dance Ensemble, sparking his interest in dance as a professional path. Following a period performing with companies in New Zealand and Australia, Newson moved to London in 1980, earning a scholarship to the London Contemporary Dance School. He went on to dance with Extemporary Dance Theatre before becoming disillusioned by what he viewed as a lack of subject matter in the contemporary dance scene.

Newson founded DV8 as a direct response to this frustration, developing what became widely known as “physical theatre,” blending dance, text, film, and other media to tackle socio-political themes. The company’s early works included My Sex, Our Dance (1986) with Nigel Charnock and Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men (1988), which was the first DV8 stage work adapted for film in 1990. Other productions, such as Strange Fish (1992), Enter Achilles (1995), and The Cost of Living (2003), followed a similar path, often winning international awards for both stage and film versions. Notably, Living Costs (2003) marked DV8’s first site-specific performance at Tate Modern, showcasing the company’s flair for immersive, socially engaged projects.

From 2007 onwards, Newson increasingly integrated verbatim theatre into DV8’s productions, using interview transcripts and real-life testimony to explore pressing contemporary issues. To Be Straight With You (2007–09) examined religious and cultural homophobia, Can We Talk About This? (2011–12) confronted freedom of speech and censorship, and JOHN(2014–15) portrayed one man’s struggle with crime, addiction, and personal redemption. These works garnered both controversy and critical acclaim, reflecting Newson’s unflinching commitment to challenging social and political norms through movement and text.

DV8 has won 55 national and international awards. However, on the company’s 30th anniversary in 2016, Newson announced a pause in creating new work to consider DV8’s future direction. Among his many honours, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013 for services to contemporary dance and has been recognised by the UK Critics’ Circle as one of the 100 most influential figures in the arts in the last century.

DV8 PHYSICAL THEATRE

DV8 Physical Theatre was formed in 1986 and was led since its inception by Lloyd Newson, who directed and conceived all productions besides My Sex, Our Dance which was co-conceived with Nigel Charnock. Prior to it’s formation, Newson worked with 26 choreographers and 4 different dance companies. In 1985, Newson left Extemporary Dance Theatre and produced Bein’ Apart, Lonely Art, a commission for Dance Umbrella (UK), along with Michelle Richecoeur. The following year, DV8 Physical Theatre was officially formed, and Newson worked with Nigel Charnock to create My Sex, Our Dance. Between its founding and final production in 2016, DV8 produced eighteen highly acclaimed dance pieces and four award-winning films. DV8’s work has primarily focused on social, psychological and political issues driven by Newson’s personal interest in these subjects. Over time, the form of DV8’s output changed, with text gradually playing a larger role. Work from 2007 onwards primarily focused on the relationship between verbatim text and movement, with the exception of the re-staging of Enter Achilles in 2020 for Rambert Dance Company. DV8 Physical Theatre toured both nationally and internationally and produced a site-specific piece at the Tate Modern, London, in 2003. DV8 Films Ltd. was founded in 1991 as a separate company to produce DV8’s film output and was the production company for three films – Strange Fish (1992), Enter Achilles (1995) and The Cost of Living (2003).

DV8 received over 50 national and international awards throughout its existence for their stage and film productions, including the 1994, 1996 and 2005 Prix Italia, an Emmy in 1997 and the 2012 Helpmann Award for Best Ballet or Dance Work.

The company was put on ‘hold’ in 2016, and Lloyd Newson retired in 2022, with DV8 Physical Theatre subsequently brought to an end.