How it began.

In 2008, a group of students at the University of Warwick (UK), led by Jack Lowe, got together to create a piece of devised theatre about the diversity within neuroscience - inspired by the works of Oliver Sacks. That piece of work - Return to the Silence - was picked up by the National Student Drama Festival in 2009, where the show won 4 awards. We haven’t stopped exploring.

How it’s going.

Since that moment in 2008, curious directive has explored life through the lens of science. Our devised theatre shows have been seen in over 120 venues across the world, playing to over 200,000+ live audience members.

We’re now based at 49 Elm Hill, a 577 year-old Grade 1 listed church in the heart of Norwich, UK. From here, we create layered, emotionally charged science-led theatre. We forge sustained relationships between science communities, theatre-goers and technology partners. All our work is created here, touring the UK and the world.

As well as our theatre productions, we run Open House, Science Club, The Laboratory, Curious Cultures and an affordable creative co-working space for Norwich-based artists. We hire our The Laboratory and our Main House a multi-functional rehearsal space.

Our work has spanned the mid-scale, like Fringe First Winner, Pioneer (2014), OffWest End nominated Deciphering (2021) or Norfolk Arts Award Winner, Spindrift (2022). We also innovate with small-scale digital work which connects cutting-edge technology with theatre, like virtual reality theatre hybrid Frogman (2017) and Gastronomic (2019).

Were regularly ‘theatre company in residence’ at festivals and universities - exploring the intersection of science in society.

Critically acclaimed, with 17 prestigious arts-science nominations and awards (recently Best Sound Design/Best Set and Costume Design in 2021 for Deciphering).

We’ve been published eight times with Bloomsbury/Methuen.

We regularly partner across the UK, with theatres including Theatre Royal Plymouth, The Lowry and New Diorama Theatre. We’ve been commissioned by NNF, Warwick Arts Centre, LIFT and many more. We regularly work with world-leading science institutes such as Wellcome Trust and IOP.

We have delivered multiple workshops at the National Theatre, National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai) and have collaborated with the Royal Society fellow on the role of theatre/communication in the development of science policy.

Internationally, we have toured to South Korea (2016) South Africa (2017), China, Australia and Indonesia (2018), Hong Kong, Singapore, Norway, South Africa, Malaysia (2019) and South Korea, China (2020) and USA (2023).

We’ve co-produced internationally with Brisbane Power House / Great Barrier Reef Foundation, (Australia, 2017), and The Hopkins Center for the Arts (USA, 2023)

curious directive has become culturally significant in linking theatre and science.

Our annual programme demonstrates curious directive’s ambition to be a leading local, regional and national voice in the rising cultural significance of theatre inspired by science.

Our work is monographic in subject matter: the pursuit of science in theatre.