The secret location of eagerly anticipated new Punchdrunk and National Theatre co-production, The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable, has been revealed. Punchdrunk will transform a vast building next door to Paddington Station into the forgotten world of Temple Studios, a legendary film powerhouse. The location for the show, 31 London Street W2 1DJ, has until now been a closely guarded secret. The building is significantly bigger than any space Punchdrunk has used before. Due to extraordinary ticket sales The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable has now been extended until 31 December 2013.
The legendary Temple Studios was established in 1942 as the British outpost for major Hollywood studio Republic Pictures. For a brief period during the 1950s it was a prolific powerhouse producing films across a variety of genres including period dramas, musicals, historical epics and intimate thrillers. In the early 1960s the output of the studio waned and employees were sworn to secrecy about the studio’s projects. Little is known about the films in development at that time. In October 1962 the studio was closed overnight. The dramatic events that led to the building being condemned have been a closely kept secret ever since.
Punchdrunk will reopen 31 London Street for their biggest production to date. The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable is inspired by Büchner’s fractured masterpiece Woyzeck and set in a seedy Hollywood underworld.
Led by Felix Barrett, Punchdrunk is the internationally acclaimed theatre company whose previous award-winning productions include Faust, The Masque of the Red Death, Tunnel 228, It Felt Like A Kiss, The Duchess of Malfi, Sleep No More and The Crash of the Elysium. Their current New York show Sleep No More won a 2011 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience and a Special Citation For Design And Choreography at the 2010-11 Obie Awards. To book visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
