DV8 are not keen on providing detailed explanations of the work: it's up to audiences to make up their own minds. So, there are no education packs with plot outlines, or guides to the meaning of the movement.

However, we don't want to be entirely unhelpful, so we've brought together a selection of interviews and reviews on this site with the specific aim of helping students. In other words, to find out about a particular production you will need to do some research.

Start with a visit to the student information page. If you want more, try the project index in the archive. There you'll find more reviews, etc., listed under the various projects.

The written information packs we sent out in the past have been replaced by the online information now at your fingertips. We are unable to supply information in any other form.

There is also a short video, consisting of footage from the movement workshop that provided much of the earliest research for Bound To Please. Made in April/May '97, it runs for 20 mins and has a voiceover intended for GCSE-level students (written by Lloyd). It's called Looking For A New Messiah: DV8 movement research workshop 1996. The idea is to shed some light on Lloyd's working process.

There are a few copies of the video still available: apply in writing to DV8 (see contact us). If you miss out, you could try the library of the nearest university offering dance studies (e.g., University of Surrey) ... some have it available for viewing.

In general, the sheer weight of demands on Lloyd's time and the hectic schedule of the company means that this is not possible.

You'll probably never get an explanation from Lloyd about what specific symbols or events in the productions mean. The point of the shows is to encourage people to think about the issues involved rather than to provide didactic answers.

Not all decisions that are made in making a piece have completely thought-through reasoning behind them. Intuition and personal preferences come into it too. Then there's the interplay of ideas and meaning between all the people involved, including the audience. It's an exploration that continues even after the show is made.

If you are writing an essay or doing a dissertation, form your own opinions on the meaning of the movement/storyline/production. Yours are just as valid as anyone else's.

A lot of people used to ask this question on the bulletin board, when we had one, mostly prompted by having to write an essay for their school or college. We don't have an answer.

DV8 Physical Theatre was set up and named in 1986 (before physical theatre was labelled for academic study). The name was chosen as a result of the dissatisfaction felt by Lloyd and the other founder members with what was happening in contemporary dance at the time. They wanted (and still want) to make work that had meaning for them. The wording of the company's artistic policy conveys this need to this day.

Why are we telling you this here? Because we hope this will help you see that from DV8's point of view, "What is physical theatre?" is not a particularly relevant question. The people making the work are not the best people to ask about defining a genre ... they are focusing on making the work, not standing outside analysing it.

Depends on the question. If you are asking about some factual aspect of a show, like who played which role, etc., you will usually be able to find a straightforward answer.

If your question is about the narrative or meaning of a piece / scene / action, then we are unlikely to provide an answer. There is no official version of the meaning of the work. Lloyd and the company struggle hard to put on stage something that means something to them. Then it's over to you, the audience.

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the work being studied at schools and colleges was created quite a while ago ... over 15 years ago in the case of Dead Dreams. Lloyd's focus is on the piece coming up, not the older work.

Lloyd is interested in film both as a medium in its own right and as a record of the stage work: as a way of contributing to the wider dissemination of the work the company does on stage. He is interested in developing film work independent of the stage.

Yes and No. Four of DV8's films [ Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men, Strange Fish, Enter Achilles and The Cost of Living ] have been released in the UK you will most likely find them at the nearest university library specialising in dance, such as University of Surrey. They are also available for purchase through Dancebooks. See merchandise for the latest availability information.

As for other videos or videos of the stage productions, the answer is no. The exception is Looking For A New Messiah, which is intended for GCSE students. See Can DV8 send me any information?

Unfortunately, the company is not able to open its rehearsals or workshops to others.

The main reason for this has to do with the way the company works. To get the kind of input from the dancers that is needed to make the work, they need to be somewhere where they're not being observed. This allows the dancers time away from always being looked at. The company avoids mirrors in its rehearsal spaces for the same reason.

The company receives money annually from the Arts Council England and sometimes receives money from grant-making bodies for specific projects. DV8 also earns money from performance fees, co-production fees and (very minimally) from the sale of merchandise.

The current administrative structure consists of an Administrative Producer assisted by an Administrator. The Administrative Producer reports to the Board of Directors. Freelancers are employed by the Administrative Producer for specific tasks, such as press and publicity activities, design, production management, etc.

The company generally works with trained dancers, although actors took part in the production MSM, which used a lot of text, and performers trained in other areas have occasionally worked with us.

The company usually auditions by invitation and also through working periods, such as workshops. Details of open workshops, auditions and teaching workshops organized by others but involving Lloyd appear on the audtions page, so watch out for them. The company also keeps extensive files of performers.

If you want to try and bring yourself to Lloyd's attention, follow the advice to be found on the same page.

As a general rule, this has to be answered with a no.

On the artistic and creative side of things, we are not able to do it for the same reasons we gave in answering the question Can I watch/photograph rehearsals or workshops? On the administrative and marketing side, the company is restricted by its size and the smallness of its office space in its ability to take placements or people on work experience.

DV8 doesn't run dance classes that are open to all.

However, the company does sometimes run workshops in connection with its productions, usually organized in collaboration with a venue to which we are touring. When such a workshop is arranged, information about it is placed in the diary on this site and made available through the venue's own publicity resources.

We also notify people directly, through our email mailing list. If you would like to join the list, you can do so by completing the request form

In general, DV8 doesn't restage previous productions and it seems unlikely that any of the early ones will ever be restaged. We did revive Enter Achilles but we're not likely to do so with any others, and we won't be reviving Enter Achilles again. The 2003 touring production the cost of living was a re-direction by Lloyd of the show made for the Sydney Olympics but this show didn't really tour the first time round.

Each production is researched for up to a year before rehearsals begin, and then developed during a three month rehearsal period. This means that once the company has performed at a venue, it takes a minimum of research + rehearsal time for a new work to tour there.

There are lots and lots of factors that determine where and when the company tours. Some of these are economic ... co-producers (venues or festivals that give DV8 money during the research or rehearsal period to help pay for making the new show) obviously have a very strong claim to the work.

Then, given that we cannot keep the company members touring around the world for ever, there is an a balance to strike between visiting new territories and returning to cities where audiences are established or there is an existing relationship with a promoter. Plus promoters have their own programming restrictions that might prevent them from bringing the company back as regularly as we or they might like. These are some of the main factors that determine every tour schedule.

If you would like to see DV8 returing to your local theatre more often, by all means write to the programmer there and let them know.

To arrange any form of public screening, you must have the permission of a film's licence holder. The names of the licence holders for DV8's films are listed with the credits for each ... see the project index, where the films are listed in full. Please note that DV8 does not own the copyright or licences to its work on film/video/DVD and cannot give permission for its use.

We usually have printed items relating to a stage production that is current touring ... see merchandise. We sometimes have other items, such as posters from previous shows or T-shirts, available too.

Yes ... The films entitled Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men, Strange Fish, Enter Achilles and The Cost of Living have all been commercially released. See how to order in the merchandise section of the site for information on formats and ordering online.

It's not available through DV8. In the same way that the copyright for each set remains with its designer, the soundtrack copyrights remain with the composers. DV8 does not have the right to distribute any of its soundtracks.