Ockham’s Razor Theatre Company is a British aerial theatre company. Their critically acclaimed work combines circus and theatre, and they specialise in creating physical theatre

Physical theatre

Physical theatre is used to describe any mode of performance that pursues storytelling or drama through primarily and secondarily physical and mental means. There are several quite distinct but indistinct traditions of performance which all describe themselves using the term "physical theatre",...

 on original pieces of aerial equipment and create stories from the vulnerability, trust and reliance that exists between people in the air.

Background

The company was formed in 2004 by Alex Harvey, Tina Koch and Charlotte Mooney. With their unique physical skills the company have performed a number of shows that "combine circus and visual theatre to make work that is arresting and entertaining". The company’s name derives from a philosophy of William of Ockham

William of Ockham

William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of...

 known as Ockham's Razor that states that the simplest theory should always be chosen – this reflects the way in which the company work as they aim to always keep their work understandable and easy for the audience to relate to. Rather than portray the circus performer as a superhuman character capable of impressive feats, they create works that draw on the human and the real, where the characters go through recognisable experiences, emotions and conflicts which the audience can identify with and relate to.

Devising Process

The company use a particular devising process which begins with a general idea or theme. The performers work as an ensemble to first brainstorm ideas and then work physically, all based on the original theme. Each show uses a piece of bespoke equipment – they create a structural design using materials such as wood and metal, take it to a fabricator and then improvise with the prototype. In their exploration each part of their work is recorded and reviewed by the performers and this process is continuously repeated; there is no end to the devising process even during performance stages – they will record the production, review it and change it.

Productions

The company’s shows include Arc, Every Action..., Memento Mori, The Mill, and the upcoming Not Until We Are Lost as well as various other projects for young children and families such as Hang On and Something in the Air; an “audience participatory show for young people with complex disabilities”. The Mill, a piece about work and physical labour reviewed by Lyn Gardner as "a terrifically imaginative and original show", is their most recent and first feature length play, directed by Toby Sedgwick

Toby Sedgwick

Toby Sedgwick is a British movement director, actor, and theatre choreographer. He achieved critical acclaim for providing "horse choreography" for War Horse, currently playing at West End's New London Theatre and Broadway's Vivian Beaumont Theatre...

 (director of War Horse) with Rufus Norris

Rufus Norris

Rufus Norris is an award-winning British theatre director who trained as an actor at RADA before turning to directing.In 2001 he won the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his production of Afore Night Came at the Young Vic....

 as dramaturg.

The Founders of the Company

Alex Harvey, Charlotte Mooney and Tina Koch were all students of Circomedia

Circomedia

Circomedia is a school for contemporary circus and physical theatre based in Bristol, England. The school offers a variety of training courses and workshops that teach circus skills in the context of physical theatre, performance and creativity....

, Academy of Circus Arts and Physical Performance in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 when they met. They had previously all been studying unrelated theatre subjects at separate universities: Harvey studied Fine Art at De Montfort University

De Montfort University

De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...

 in Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

, Mooney studied English Literature with Spanish at the University of Sussex

University of Sussex

The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....

 as well as La Universidad de Santiago, Chile

University of Santiago, Chile

The University of Santiago of Chile is one of the oldest public universities in Chile.The institution was born as Escuela de Artes y Oficios in 1849, under the government of Manuel Bulnes...

, and Koch studied Cultural Science and Aesthetic Communication at Universität Hildesheim

University of Hildesheim

The University of Hildesheim was founded in 1978. Its main faculties are educational and social sciences, cultural sciences and aesthetic communications, and information and communication sciences. With around 5000 students currently enrolled, this university is relatively small.Unlike very few...

, originally training as a dancer. Each found a passion for circus and physical theatre during their studies and went on together to found Ockham’s Razor Theatre Company.