ABOUT

What is Mad Paradox?

We create performances that are directly inspired by the writings of the “Mad” Antonin Artaud, particularly his theories on Theatre of Cruelty. Interpreting these methodologies for the modern age, our company tells stories that stimulate the senses utilizing technical elements such as trance-inducing pulses, wild projections, bleak yet messy sets, olfactory provocations and intense soundscapes.

We break the fourth wall with artful intention. We often incorporate moments of planned improvisation, recordings, interview-based oral history and ethnodramatic techniques to transpose story to stage. We will exploit our own personal experiences to facilitate the deepening of a narrative that further humanizes the fictional characters we portray.

We aim to provide, above all, a deeply sensorial experience for the audience, engaging both mind and body. Many people have labelled this type of show “Immersive theatre” - while this is pretty accurate, we’re not so sure we would really limit what we do to just this. Nothing is just anything.

Our shows are certainly a strange blend. It’s a complex weaving in and out of reality When watching, it’s sometimes hard to tell where life ends and theatre begins.

The result is a unique performative “Paradox” - an absurd, yet intimate - and often uncomfortable - contradiction to conventional theatre practices.

We are bold.
We are risky.
We are intense.