Work has become the defining part of Western identity. It starts as early as childhood, when adults are preoccupied with finding out what the child wants to be when they grow up. It becomes apparent that the chosen profession is not merely an act of service, it is an act of being. If you do not work, you cease to be - you cease to exist.
1001 becomes a point of departure for re-imagining how we work and why, questioning the use of labour as the defining factor of a successful life. Burnout has become ubiquitous and we are in a desperate plea for rest.
Working class led and based on lived experiences of immense working hours in customer service and beyond, the show blurs boundaries between theatre, dance and performance art. The exhaustion you see on stage is vulnerable and sincere.
1001 has been awarded University of Warwick Research Prize, 2021.
“Keep up the good work producing cutting-edge theatre for everyone in London”
Councillor Jonathan Simpson, 29 January 2018
