BULLYACHE Make Sadler's Wells Debut With A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND

BULLYACHE will make their Sadler's Wells debut with the UK premiere of A Good Man is Hard to Find from Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 May at Sadler's Wells East. The piece draws inspiration from the 2008 financial crash, and the "Cremation of Care" ceremony; an annual ritual ceremony where the global elite banish their guilt, by the San Francisco private members club the Bohemian Grove. A Good Man is Hard to Find is co-commissioned by Sadler's Wells, and on Friday 8 May Sadler's Wells East will host a late-night party in its foyer after the show curated by the company.

Selected by Sir Wayne McGregor CBE for the Venice Biennale Danza in 2025, the breakout choreographic duo presented the world premiere of A Good Man is Hard to Find to great audience and critical acclaim, with the Times Literary Supplement calling it “Bold, punchy and visually arresting... one of the Biennale's most compelling offerings”.

The dark and dominating performance by five dancers investigates uncomfortable scenarios about power plays, hierarchies, humiliation and sacrifice. The piece is accompanied by original music juxtaposed with Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony In C Minor, a 20th century anti-war composition re-contextualised within the show.

A Good Man is Hard to Find features original music, choreography and direction by BULLYACHE – Coutney Deyn & Jacob Samuel. The production features costume design by La Maskarade, lighting design by Bianca Peruzzi, set design by TOR Studio, and Sinisa is Creative Director. A Good Man is Hard to Find is performed by Sam Dilkes, Oscar Jinghu Li, Giacomo Luci, Pierre Loup Morillon and Fenglin Yang.

Originated in San Francisco in the 1870s, Bohemian Grove is a secretive all-male club founded by a group of journalists, artists and musicians. The club now draws politicians and businessmen and is allegedly a space for the rich and powerful to cut deals and network, amidst ritualistic performances. Conversations with staff who worked at the club formed part of the research for A Good Man is Hard to Find.

BULLYACHE said “This was the only show that felt right to make right now. We weren't sure we could hold all the material - conspiracy culture, secret societies and the Cremation of Care, blue-suited men quietly destroying the world and the ghost of 2008 financial crash that got swept under the rug - but we took the risk and followed it because we were fascinated by the men behind these stories. For us it's our most complete and uncompromising work to date.

 

What has emerged is a piece about the fantasy of power: men suspended somewhere between gods and teenage boys, clinging to rituals and behaviours that destroy everything, including themselves. We built the music ourselves and let it fracture until it lands in Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony in C Minor because we're interested in that violence between old and new worlds. That conflict feels deeply connected, and more pertinent to the world each day.”

Rob Jones, Associate Artistic Director of Sadler's Wells, said: “A Good Man is Hard to Find is BULLYACHE's most ambitious work yet seeing the company raise the stakes, breaking new ground in terms of theatricality and design. The London premiere of this work at Sadler's Wells East promises to be a real moment in their trajectory. It's a powerful work, I'm really excited for them.”
                                

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