Forced Entertainment

Led by artist and writer Tim Etchells, Forced Entertainment is a theatre company founded in 1984 in Sheffield. The result of a unique artistic partnership between its six founding members, the company's projects pay particular attention to mechanical performance, the role of the audience and the mechanisms of contemporary urban life. Provocative and joyful, their shows shake up conventions and audience expectations, drawing influences from theatre, dance, performance, music and popular forms of expression such as cabaret and stand-up. From intimate duets to large-scale productions with spectacular effects, the members of Forced Entertainment conceive their projects as a collaborative effort, combining improvisation, writing, discussions and rehearsals. They also initiated a series of improvised performances in the early 1990s. These improvisations, lasting between 6 and 24 hours, have played a key role in their career. In 2016, the company was awarded the International Ibsen Prize for its body of work. In 2021, Forced Entertainment will be honoured at the Festival d'Automne with a Portrait presenting 6 works by the company.