Shared Experience is a British touring theatre company that specialises in adaptations of literary texts. Celebrated for their inventive storytelling and a highly physical acting style the company was formed in 1975 by director Mike Alfreds. The first production was a trilogy based on the legend of the Arabian Nights, followed by the highly acclaimed Bleak House, and A Handful of Dust .
In 1988, Nancy Meckler succeeded Alfreds as artistic director, and in 2000 she was joined by Polly Teale. They have continued Shared Experience’s tradition of producing adaptations of classic novels, including an adaptation of War and Peace and After Mrs Rochester .
In 2011 Shared Experience became the Resident Company at the Oxford Playhouse and also learned that it would no longer be among Arts Council England’s regularly funded clients.
From the guide to the Shared Experience Theatre Company Archive, 1976-2008, (V&A: Department of Theatre and Performance)
