Lloyd Newson (born 1957) is a director, dancer and choreographer. He formed
DV8 Physical Theatre
DV8 Physical Theatre (or Dance and Video 8) is a physical theatre company based at Artsadmin in London, United Kingdom. It was officially founded in 1986 by Lloyd Newson (1986 - 2022), Michelle Richecoeur (1986–1988) and Nigel Charnock (198 ...
and has led the company since its inception in 1986. He studied psychology and social work at
Melbourne University
The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...
and after graduating began his dancing career in New Zealand, initially as a dancer but later also as a choreographer.
DV8 Physical Theatre
DV8 Physical Theatre (or Dance and Video 8) is a physical theatre company based at Artsadmin in London, United Kingdom. It was officially founded in 1986 by Lloyd Newson (1986 - 2022), Michelle Richecoeur (1986–1988) and Nigel Charnock (198 ...
was formed as a response to Newson's increasing frustration with the superficiality of contemporary dance. DV8's work is characterised by the desire to communicate ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously, with a focus on socio-political issues.
Under the banner of
DV8 Physical Theatre
DV8 Physical Theatre (or Dance and Video 8) is a physical theatre company based at Artsadmin in London, United Kingdom. It was officially founded in 1986 by Lloyd Newson (1986 - 2022), Michelle Richecoeur (1986–1988) and Nigel Charnock (198 ...
, Newson's work has won 55 national and international awards.
He has choreographed and directed DV8's work since its inception, with the exception of ''My Sex; Our Dance'' (1986) which was co-created with performer Nigel Charnock. Between 1986 and 1992 Newson frequently collaborated with performers Michelle Richecoeur, Nigel Charnock and Wendy Houstoun.
''Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men'' premiered in 1988, and was the first of Newson's work to be adapted for film (1990). Further film translations of stage shows include ''Strange Fish'' (1992), ''
Enter Achilles'' (1995), and ''The Cost of Living'' (2004).
''Living Costs'' (2003) was the company's first site specific performance, in collaboration with
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...
, and featured elements from the stage production ''The Cost of Living''. In 2004 Newson conceived and directed the film version of this work which was set on location in
Cromer
Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the North Norfolk district of the county of Norfolk, England. It is north of Norwich, northwest of North Walsham and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline.
The local ...
, an English seaside town.
Since 2007, Newson's work has combined his individual style of movement with verbatim text. These verbatim-dance works deal with contemporary issues: religious tolerance and intolerance towards sexuality in ''To Be Straight With You'' (2007–09), censorship and freedom of speech in ''Can we Talk About This?'' (2011–12) and a man's attempt to escape his criminal background and redeem his life in ''JOHN'' (2014–15).
Early life and career
Born in
Albury, New South Wales
Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...
in 1957, Newson attended the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...
, from which he graduated in 1978. Whilst studying psychology and social work, he started attending dance classes with Margaret Lasica and regularly performed with her company, the Modern Dance Ensemble. By the time of his graduation, Newson had become interested in pursuing dance professionally, and subsequently joined Impulse Dance Theatre (1979), on a combined tour with the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company.
He travelled to London in 1980 performing with the Australian company One Extra Dance Theatre and whilst there won a scholarship to
London Contemporary Dance School
London Contemporary Dance School (informally LCDS) is a contemporary dance school located in London, England. Previously part of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, since 2022 LCDS has been independently registered with the Office for Stud ...
(1980-1981). Between 1981 and 1985 he danced with Extemporary Dance Theatre (UK).
DV8 Physical Theatre
History
By 1986, Newson had worked with 28 different choreographers and was beginning to feel increasingly frustrated by lack of subject matter within the British contemporary dance scene. He has been quoted as saying that he felt the majority of the work he had been dancing in was 'conning' audiences 'about the depth' of what was being presented.
Seeking a way to challenge the limitations of dance, he began to explore the concept of
physical theatre
Physical theatre is a genre of theatrical performance that encompasses storytelling primarily through physical movement. Although several performance theatre disciplines are often described as "physical theatre", the genre's characteristic aspe ...
, which he saw as allowing him to use 'any means necessary to find the most appropriate way to say something'.
He subsequently formed
DV8 Physical Theatre
DV8 Physical Theatre (or Dance and Video 8) is a physical theatre company based at Artsadmin in London, United Kingdom. It was officially founded in 1986 by Lloyd Newson (1986 - 2022), Michelle Richecoeur (1986–1988) and Nigel Charnock (198 ...
in 1986. Since its inception, the company has been characterised by work that incorporates a range of mediums, including elements of theatre, dance, film and text.
Early work
The first work Newson produced with the new company was ''My Sex, Our Dance'' (1986), created in partnership with the performer Nigel Charnock. It tackled the emergence of AIDS as a social issue, exploring through physical risk-taking the extent to which two men can trust each other.
This was followed by ''Deep End'' (1987), and ''Elemen T(H)ree Sex'' (1987), works which focused on heterosexual relationships.
These works toured the UK, with ''Elemen T(H)ree'' sharing a bill in 1987 with ''My Sex, Our Dance''; something ''Deep End'' would also do in 1987 and 1988.
In 1987 the company premiered ''My Body, Your Body'', which featured performer Wendy Houstoun, who had attended a workshop and quickly became a frequent collaborator with the company.
The work, based on audio recordings of a close female friend of Newson's and the book ''Women Who Love Too Much'' by Robin Norwood, explored the psychology of women who seek out relationships with abusive men. Initially conceived with students at Leicester Polytechnic (now
De Montfort University
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...
), the piece was remounted and toured the UK at the end of 1987.
''Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men'' followed in 1988, and drew inspiration from the book ''Killing for Company'', written about the mass-murderer
Dennis Nielsen
Dennis Dean Nielsen (February 5, 1947 – September 23, 2023) was a retired United States Air Force Colonel who was most widely known for having participated in rescue effort of the United Airlines Flight 232 crash in Sioux City, Iowa in 1989. ...
.
The work premiered at the
Third Eye Centre in Glasgow, and received critical acclaim, going on to win the 1989
Time Out Dance Award, and the
Evening Standard
The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
Ballet Award for the same year.
In 1990, the work was adapted for film with the director David Hinton and went on to be awarded as The Best Stage Performance Reworked for the Camera by IMZ Dance Screen.
1990: ''If Only...''
After ''Dead Dreams on Monochrome Men'', Newson has stated that he was 'fatigued by the bruising physicality' of his earlier works.
His, and DV8's, following production, ''If Only...'' (1990) marked a stylistic change from previous works; later described by Newson as being 'less combative' and 'more poetical'.
The main protagonist was a woman, Wendy Houstoun. The work was inspired by
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic ...
’s writings on happiness, and much like ''Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men'', the production was critically acclaimed, winning the Golden Pegasus Award at 1990's Melbourne International Festival.
''Strange Fish'', ''MSM'' and ''Enter Achilles''
In ''Strange Fish'' (1992) Newson altered his approach to new work by writing narratives in advance of the rehearsal period. Wendy Houstoun again played the central role in the production.
''Strange Fish'' explored friendship and, in Newson's own words, 'the search for something or someone to believe in'. Co-produced by EXPO Seville, Britain at EXPO and National Arts Centre Ottawa, the show opened in Seville and saw its UK premiere at Tramway, Glasgow.
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
newspaper called it 'one of the richest and most unsparing theatrical experiences' they had had 'in a long time'. The work was also awarded a London Dance & Performance Award (1992) and adapted for film, with director David Hinton collaborating with Newson on the move from the stage to the screen.
The production of Newson's next work, ''MSM'' (1993), was based on first hand verbatim interviews with men of various ages, backgrounds and sexualities on the subject of
cottaging Cottaging is a LGBT slang, gay slang term, originating from the United Kingdom, referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory (a "cottage" or "tea-room"Andre "tearoom; t-room ''noun'' a Washroom, public toilet. From an era when a grea ...
-
MSM is the sociological term to describe the act of men having sex with men, irrespective of the sexuality they identify as.
The production premiered in Montreal, before opening in the UK at the
Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...
. It was co-commissioned by the
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...
(London).
1995's ''
Enter Achilles'' scrutinised the concept of masculinity in modern society. Set in a typical British pub, it looks at how a group of men hide actions and feelings that are deemed unmanly, only for these repressed emotions to manifest themselves in other ways.
The work toured initially in the UK and Europe in 1995, and to Australia in 1996 - a revival tour to the US, Canada and Europe followed in 1997, then Russia and Japan in 1998. The stage production was also translated to film, with Newson working with the director Clara van Gool. The film was shown widely at international festivals, and won awards including a
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international television, radio-broadcasting and web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with th ...
and an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for the Performing Arts (1997).
A new production of ''Enter Achilles'', in collaboration with
Ballet Rambert
Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...
and
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...
, staged its world premiere at the
Adelaide Festival
The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...
in March 2020.
''Bound to Please'' and ''The Happiest Day of My Life''
1997 saw the premiere of ''Bound to Please'', in which Newson directly tackled the dance world. The work featured a love scene between an older woman (Diana Payne-Meyers) and a much younger man. Newson then followed this work with ''The Happiest Day of My Life'' (1999), which saw him exploring the themes of love and betrayal, mixing the surreal with the suburban. The elaborate set of a carpeted room sinking into water won
Time Out Design of the Year.
''The Cost of Living''
In 2000, the Sydney 2000 Cultural Olympiad commissioned Newson to create ''Can We Afford This'', later renamed ''The Cost of Living''. It opened London's
Dance Umbrella
Dance Umbrella is an annual festival of modern and contemporary dance in London every October, founded by Val Bourne and Jeremy Alliger.
First held in 1978, companies such as London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Siob ...
season, and featured 17 performers investigating how society measures success and how we in turn calculate our own value. Newson was cited as saying the work was about 'what we think we are, and what we think we ought to be'. The touring of the show took DV8 to South East Asia for the first time, and led to several revival projects: a re-staging toured extensively in 2003. In the same year,
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...
commissioned a reimagined version of the show ''Living Costs'' marking Newson's first site specific work for DV8. The production took scenes from ''The Cost of Living'' and blended them with new material, as visitors were taken on a promenade around 7 levels of the Tate Modern, to explore the concepts of high/low art and living through dance, circus, video projection and live music.
In 2004, Newson directed the film version of ''
The Cost of Living'' which was commissioned by Channel 4. It won 18 prizes, including the NOW Audience Choice Award at the Moving Pictures Festival of Toronto,
and the
Rose d'Or for Arts & Specials in 2005.
''Just for Show''
''Just for Show'' (2005 – 06) incorporated virtual technology and allowed Newson to play with ideas around image; where ‘people are often more concerned about looking good, than being good’. ''Just for Show'' and subsequent productions ''To Be Straight With You'', ''Can We Talk About This?'' and ''JOHN'' were presented and co-produced by the
National Theatre in London.
Move to Verbatim Theatre
Newson has stated that after "Just for Show", he began to feel that he could no longer express complex ideas and stories solely through movement.
He began to experiment with verbatim text, using interview transcripts to explore how movement and text interrelated. The first production to showcase this was ''To Be Straight with You'' (2007), an examination of tolerance/intolerance, homosexuality, culture and religion.
The piece toured widely between 2007 and 2009, and was critically praised for its 'hard hitting' nature, and desire to tackle difficult subject matters head on. ''Can we Talk About This?'' (2011-2012), dealt with freedom of speech, censorship and Islam. For this production, Newson drew on existing interviews as well as ones he conducted himself, concerning events such as the
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, ) began after the Danish newspaper published twelve editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005 depicting Muhammad, the founder of Islam, in what it said was a response to the deb ...
, the murder of filmmaker
Theo van Gogh, and the burnings of
Salman Rushdie
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...
's ''
Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses are words of "satanic suggestion" which the Islamic prophet Muhammad is alleged to have mistaken for divine revelation. The first use of the expression in English is attributed to Sir William Muir in 1858.
The words praise the ...
''. The work sought to examine how those events, and others, have influenced multicultural policies, press freedom and artistic censorship. "Can We Talk About This?" was awarded the
Helpmann Award
The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001.
The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...
(2012)
and Production of the Year (2012) by Tanz Magazine (Germany).
Newson's most recent work, again using the methods of verbatim theatre, is ''JOHN'' (2014), which follows one man (the eponymous title character, played by performer Hannes Langolf) tracing his criminality, drug use and personal relationships, efforts at rehabilitation and desire to lead an ordinary life. Built on interviews with over 50 men, the work premiered in Vienna (2014), before having an extended run at the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
in London (2014-2015). It was also broadcast to cinemas around the country through the pioneering
NT Live programme.
2016 - DV8 On Hold
On 12 January 2016, as DV8 celebrated its 30th anniversary, the company announced that artistic director Lloyd Newson was taking time out to reflect about the future. Due to this the company confirmed that the production of new work was to be paused indefinitely.
Selected awards
* OBE for services to contemporary dance (2013)
* UK Critics Circle 100 most influential people in the arts in the last 100 years
* Helpmann Award for 'Best Ballet or Dance Work' (2012)
* Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt), Roehamption University (2011)
* Grand Prix de Danse, Syndicat Professionnel de la Critique de Théâtre, Musique et Danse (2009)
* Prix Italia (Performing Arts) (2005)
* Rose d'Or (Arts and Specials Category) (2005)
* International Emmy Award for Performing Arts (1997)
References
External links
DV8 Homepage Lloyd Newson Biography on IMDB*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newson, Lloyd
Australian male dancers
People from Albury
University of Melbourne alumni
1957 births
Living people
Contemporary dancers
Officers of the Order of the British Empire