That Night Follows Day – Rehearsed Readings

Created 2018

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You feed us. You dress us. You watch us when we are sleeping.
You lay down the law. You explain that night follows day.

Since 2011 Forced Entertainment have been using Artistic Director Tim Etchells’ performance text That Night Follows Day to create public rehearsed readings, bringing this widely acclaimed work to UK and international partners, young participants and audiences.

In this frame, a rehearsed reading performance is created with 17 young people through a series of workshops and presented for an adult audience to explore the way that the adult world shapes the experience, understanding and possibilities that young people have.

That Night Follows Day invites us to take a critical and playful look at the way we project our world onto those around us. With alarming clarity and humour, these young people reveal the ways we are all constrained and created by the words we hear.

We make these rehearsed reading projects in collaboration with a partner organisation, typically in a 6 to 10 day process. We have presented this work in the UK – Sheffield Theatres, Contact Manchester, Warwick Arts Centre, Compass Festival, Leeds and also internationally – Hebbel Am Ufer, Berlin (Germany), Institute of Asian Cultural Development, Gwangju (South Korea), Beijing Nanluoguxiang International Performing Arts Festival (China), ARK, Dublin (IRL) and Sirenos Festival, Vilnius (Lithuania).

That Night Follows Day – Rehearsed Readings project follows Tim’s original version produced in Dutch with the Flemish company CAMPO, which toured the world following its premiere in May 2007.  Forced Entertainment also produced a full production of the piece in 2019, working with the South Bank in London and a cast of 18 young people from across the capital. More details here.

For further information or to discuss commissioning a version of the That Night Follows Day – Rehearsed Reading project please contact participation@forcedentertainment.com

It was an amazing experience, I laughed, I cried, I ran, I jumped and I made lots of good friends. Participant, Southbank Centre (December 2018)

I have learnt to work better with other children than I have done before. Participant, Sirenos Festival, Lithuania (October 2019)