A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Audience reactions from our production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Kents Cavern. Funded by Arts Council England.

 

The Tempest, Bristol. A short film about our site-specific production of The Tempest in the magical Leigh Woods in Bristol, aboard Luke Jerram’s art installation ‘Withdrawn’, created from a fleet of abandoned fishing boats. Partially funded by the Arts Council Grants for Arts programme.

Butterfly in Germany. A short film about our site-specific productions in Germany, filmed by local students.

 

Butterfly in caves. About Butterfly Theatre’s site-specific work in caves, filmed in Kents Cavern.

Macbeth Underground - Schools Project. Butterfly worked with four local schools in Torquay, Devon, and their teachers, to create a site-responsive, student-led performance of Macbeth in the stunning underground caves of Kents Cavern.

 

Romeo & Juliet in Germany. Audience reactions from our production of Romeo and Juliet in Rothenburg, Germany.

We Are Human. A community engagement video created in lockdown by Butterfly Theatre Collective and our diverse community of people, to celebrate our unique identity as individuals but also our shared humanity. We used Shylock’s famous “I am a Jew” speech from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and released it on the anniversary of Shakespeare’s Birthday, 23rd April 2020. This powerful speech highlights that despite the differences in our intrinsic identity - We Are All Human! “… subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means”.

 

A Christmas Carol Online 2020 Trailer. Want to know what a Butterfly Immersive Online Show is like? Watch the trailer for Butterfly's A Christmas Carol Online Immersive Show, with a female Scrooge and many more brilliant characters (one of whom you might get to play!) The enjoyment of watching a play with the thrill of being in one, as the professional cast cheers you on all the way. A uniquely memorable, fun and interactive experience for the whole family.

Aileen on Live, Site Responsive Theatre and The Gonsalves Method. Butterfly's Founder and Chief Artistic Director Aileen Gonsalves talks about why theatre is so important, about the joy of live, site-responsive theatre and about how The Gonsalves Method helps to create alive, authentic and truthful performances.

Videography by Samuel Dye. With thanks to Kings Head Theatre, Islington.

 

Shakespeare on Climate Change. A presentation on Butterfly Theatre's innovative eco-theatre in caves, delivered at the Globe 4 Globe: Shakespeare and Climate Emergency online conference.

Butterfly's Aileen Gonsalves and Simon Russell Beale talk Line Learning at the Arden Performance Companions Virtual Book Launch.

 

Butterfly's Aileen Gonsalves and Tracy Irish talk about their book Shakespeare and Meisner at the Arden Performance Companions Virtual Book Launch 2021.

BBC News. Aileen Gonsalves, artistic director of Butterfly and the Guardian's theatre critic Lyn Gardner give their views on Butterfly’s lunchtime Shakespeare plays.

 
 

Welcome to Butterfly Theatre Collective

Butterfly specialise in immersive theatre but with a focus on truthful, authentic and moment to moment performance, something we are really passionate about.

Our live site-specific theatre shows bring unusual, extraordinary and often forgotten or under appreciated locations to life, with immersive productions. We have done shows in caves, castles and ancient woodlands just to name a few.

We also do immersive online shows and workshops meaning we can with anyone, anywhere, no matter where you are in the world.

Through our education and training programme we support people to find truth and authenticity in their work and embrace their unique voice and point of view, through performance.