Theo Adams
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Theo Adams (born 29 September 1989 in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England) is a
performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
and director of the contemporary theatrical performance group Theo Adams Company.


Biography


Education

Adams studied at Fine Arts College, Hampstead. He left the formal education system early, at the age of 15 to concentrate on performance.


Work

Adams is known for both his live productions and film work. He made his professional stage debut aged 9 in 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, ...
's production of An Inspector Calls directed by
Stephen Daldry Stephen David Daldry Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway theatre, Broadway and an Olivie ...
at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End. ''Ponystep'' Magazine described the 15-year-old Adams as "central to a scintillating brand of gender-dysphoric, mid-2000s London nightclub chaos" and, over the next few years, he "turned his arresting social presence and brilliant performance compulsion into high art".Paul Flynn (26 July 2013
"The(o) Adams Family"
, ''Ponystep''. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
After several solo shows which he performed internationally, Adams formed The Theo Adams Company with their first performance on 4 January 2008 at the
Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in En ...
. The contemporary theatrical performance art group comprises a collection of dancers, performers, actors, artists and musicians creating work described by CNN as part ballet, part theater, part pop. Adams has contributed to a number of magazines including
W Magazine ''W'' (or ''W Magazine'') is an American fashion magazine that was launched in 1972 as a sister publication to ''Women's Wear Daily''. The magazine features stories about style through the lens of art, celebrity, culture, fashion and film. Ba ...
,
i-D ''i-D'' is a British biannual magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art, film and youth culture. The magazine was launched in 1980 by Terry Jones, originally as a hand-stapled fanzine it has since evolved into a glossy publication. In 2023 the ...
and Dazed & Confused, appeared on the cover of Time Out London and was featured topless in the June 2008 issue of French
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
shot by Rankin. Adams has starred in music videos for artist such as
Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...
and
Róisín Murphy Róisín Marie Murphy ( , ; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer, songwriter and record producer who first became known in the 1990s as one half of the Pop music, pop duo Moloko alongside the English musician Mark Brydon. After the breakup of M ...
and was the focus of the BBC documentary Singing with the Enemy in 2007. In April 2009, The Theo Adams Company completed their ''Performance'' project, a series of performances in an abandoned Catholic school in northwest London. It was published as a 16-page photo feature in the May 2009 issue of
W Magazine ''W'' (or ''W Magazine'') is an American fashion magazine that was launched in 1972 as a sister publication to ''Women's Wear Daily''. The magazine features stories about style through the lens of art, celebrity, culture, fashion and film. Ba ...
with photography by David Sims. The company invited and were joined in their performances by special guests
Lorna Luft Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft, the sister of Joey Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli. Early life Luft was born on November 21, 1952, at Saint Jo ...
daughter of
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...
and Tony award-winner
Frances Ruffelle Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", ...
. On 27 February 2010 the short film made as part of the project was screened at the
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution at 2201 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City, United States. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...
in New York. It was then screened at the
Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia The Institute of Contemporary Art or ICA is a contemporary art museum in Philadelphia. The museum is associated with the University of Pennsylvania, and is located on its campus. The Institute is one of the country's leading museums dedicated t ...
on 23 June 2010 In November 2009, The Theo Adams Company announced ''Cry Out'' a new theatrical production. The world premiere took place on 30 November 2009 at the Za Koenji Theatre in Tokyo, Japan. While in Tokyo, Theo Adams Company were invited to give a lecture at the
Musashino Art University or is a private university in Kodaira, Western Tokyo, founded in 1962 with roots going back to 1929. It is known as one of the leading art universities in Japan. History In October 1929, was founded. In December 1948, it became , and in ...
about their work. The production and build up to the world premiere was captured on film for the documentary, ''9 Days Of Cry Out''. It had its premiere screening on 28 February 2010 in Tokyo. The full production had its European premiere on 8 May at Klangraum, in Krems, one of the oldest Mendicant orders’ churches in world. The performance was part of the annual
Donaufestival Donaufestival is an annual festival of music, performance, art, film and discourse that takes place each April/May in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. In the festival's early years, two cities were used as locations: Krems and Korneuburg. Si ...
in Austria. The performance was part of the final night of the festival which was curated by
Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peac ...
It was announced on 15 November 2010 that The Theo Adams Company would present their UK premiere of 'Cry Out' at the
Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...
, London on 18 and 19 December 2010 and tickets sold out within a day. In June 2010, Adams was the youngest person to be shortlisted in the Emerging Performance category for the Hospital Club and Independent Newspaper's 100. A search for the most influential people in the creative and media industries. On 14 October 2010,
Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...
presented a new promenade performance production by Theo Adams Company in Tokyo, Japan. Collaborating with some of the most respected people within the performance world including Emmy award-winning set designer Joseph Bennett and Complicite's stage designer and Tony award nominee
Rumi Matsui Rumi Matsui (松井るみ, born in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese set designer and scenographer based in Tokyo. She is the president of Centreline Associates. Biography In 1985 Rumi Matsui completed her BA in graphic design at Tama Art Universi ...
, the company transformed a warehouse on the edge of Tokyo bay into a maze of rooms and walkways. Adams' integrated international actors, singers and dancers within several separate performances around the space. The performance culminated in a finale performance on a two story high set featuring a cast of over 50 and a special performance by legendary Disco group
Sister Sledge Sister Sledge was an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consists of sisters Joni, Kim, Debbie, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. I ...


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Theo 1989 births Living people Artists from London British performance artists English people of Greek Cypriot descent People educated at Fine Arts College