"Complicite are unique in British theatre. . . astonishing and quite breathtaking. The Street of Crocodiles is the ideal synthesis of form and content . . . you are begging now to compare them with the work of the great directors like Peter Brook." -The Late Show , BBC TV

Considered one of the world's premier contemporary theater ensembles, England's Theatre de Complicite makes its Twin Cities debut with its critically acclaimed, visually stunning production The Street of Crocodiles, Thursday-Saturday, August 13-15 at 8 pm, and Sunday, August 16, at 2 and 7 pm at Theatre de la Juene Lune. Praised by The Sunday Times of London as "visual and visionary theatre," this award-winning production is directed by Complicite's Artistic Director Simon McBurney. The play is based on the life of Bruno Schulz, the surrealist writer, who in 1942 was forced by the Nazis to sort books for banning and was later killed by a Gestapo officer. Theatre de Complicite has also had recent Broadway success with its Tony Award winning production of The Chairs . The Minneapolis presentation of The Street of Crocodiles is sponsored by The Guthrie Theater, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and the Walker Art Center.

Simon McBurney writes: "Bruno Schulz was born just over a century ago in 1892. The son of German-speaking Polish Jews, citizens of the old Austro-Hungarian empire, he was killed fifty years later by the Nazis. We are no strangers to ethnic and nationalistic conflict today, and it is perhaps the right moment to celebrate a writer of such diverse background as Bruno Schulz who has been an inspiration to an enormous number of past and living artists. I cannot pretend that this theatre piece is an all-encompassing interpretation of his work. It is an encounter with his artistry our response to reading his writings, looking at his drawings, speaking to his nephew Jacob and others who knew him. It is a brush with Schulz's imagination."

Theatre de Complicite was founded in 1983 and has produced more than 25 productions, touring to over 180 cities in 41 countries in more than four continents. The company has been the recipient of more than 25 major international awards more than any other British touring company. The Street of Crocodiles , which began as a co-production with the Royal National Theatre has toured all around the world and has been nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards.

The company debuted in New York in 1996 with performances of The Three Lives of Lucie Carbol at the Lincoln Center Festival beginning a tour that played to rave reviews and sellout houses in Chicago, Buenos Aires, Toronto, and the former Yugoslavia. A collaboration with John Berger continues and the company recently adapted his novel To the Wedding for BBC radio. In 1997, Simon McBurney directed Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle , in a new translation by Frank McGuinness, for the Royal National Theatre. This production toured England and played at the Berliner Ensemble in 1997, as part of the Brecht Centanary Celebrations. This year, McBurney has been commissioned to write a book on the work and teachings of Jacques Lecoq, and Methuen Publishing has commissioned writing the company's history. Future projects include producing several short films as well as developing the feature film of The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol, for which McBurney will write the screenplay. The Street of Crocodiles will be performed at the 1998 Lincoln Center Festival.

Theatre de la Juene Lune is located at 105 North First Street in Minneapolis.

Tickets for The Street of Crocodiles are $24 for the Friday and Saturday performance, and $21 for the Thursday and Sunday performances. Walker members, Guthrie subscribers, and Theatre de la Juene Lune members can purchase tickets at a discounted rate of $19 for the Friday and Saturday performances and $17 for the Thursday and Sunday performances. Tickets are available by calling the Guthrie box office at (612) 377-2224 (voice); (612) 377-6626 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf.) Accommodations are available upon request.