The forthcoming Punchdrunk and National Theatre co-production, The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable, will see the pioneering theatremakers transform the biggest space in Punchdrunk’s history when it takes over an empty building next door to Paddington Station.
Described as “vast” in the site-specific company’s press release, the location has until now been kept a closely guarded secret. Subject to licensing and planning permission, the company will transform 31 London Street into the forgotten world of Temple Studios for its latest immersive theatrical experience.
Punchdrunk’s first large scale theatre production since The Masque Of The Red Death in 2007, The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable, which plays from 20 June, is set in a seedy Hollywood underworld where celluloid fantasy clings to desperate realism and certainty dissolves into a hallucinatory world, as its protagonists walk the line between illusion and reality.
Based on Büchner’s tragic tale about a military barber who stabs his unfaithful wife, the production will allow audiences to step into the world of Temple Pictures, where the Hollywood system meets a forgotten hinterland filled with dreamers who exist at the fringes of the movie industry.
Described as “significantly bigger than any space Punchdrunk has used before”, the announcement is sure to excite Punchdrunk fans who may have already experienced the company’s unique style in venue’s including a warehouse in Tower Hill, a disused hotel in New York and a deserted office block in Manchester.
Due to extraordinary demand, the show also announced today it has extended its London run to 31 December with 50,000 extra tickets now on sale.