The Pip Simmons Theatre Group was formed in 1968. Pip Simmons, the founder, served both as writer and director, but he was open to the ideas of others in the company, much of their work being devised pieces. London based, it was one of the first English experimental theatre companies.
Pip maintained the momentum of the group by taking a series of 'residencies' in theatre spaces around the UK and Europe, which was not a familiar concept at the time. The group performed at the Mickery Theatre, under the nurturing gaze of Ritsaert ten Cate, along with contemporaries such as Mike Figgis, and The Wooster Group. Pip Simmons has said of Ritsaert: 'Ritsaert made it possible for us to experiment. He was learning with us, and he didn't hide it...I did my best work there in Holland, and Ritsaert stimulated it. His stimulation wasn't just for one short period, though. He provided the best stimulation, because he stuck with you through failures as well as successes. He can't be compared with anyone else in Europe.'[1]
The group also worked with Artsadmin, who 'loved what they were doing' [2] and were interested in increasing the group's profile within the UK, as the more experimental companies such as The Pip Simmons Group, and the People Show were struggling to be taken seriously.
As with much performance art that relies on fresh ideas and constant change, and with video recording equipment being less accessible during that time, much of The Pip Simmons Group work was undocumented.
Notable works include An die Musik, a production first created by the group in 1975 and performed at the ICA London, music by Chris Jordan, from an original idea by Rudy Engelander. "The show's centerpiece is a vile cabaret hosted by an SS Officer. A devastatingly raw example of agitprop that, for once, challenges prejudice instead of pandering to it."[3]
The group performed a version of The Tempest at the Riverside Studios where, "Customers squat on raised planks in front of a sandpit adorned with bits of old wood and billowing white muslin. Upstage Prospero in a Robinson Crusoe straw hat summons the storm on a moog synthesiser." [4]
The group also produced a work named Superman, and in their portrail of the comic book hero, Superman becomes a rock and roll idol. The script contained songs which were "plagarised and borrowed unscrupulously", and the lyrics ranged from sentimental pop to comic strip diction: "Splat. Zap. Zonk. Pow./Oufff. Ouch. Aagh.Eyow." [5][6]
Other acclaimed works include: a version of Alice in Wonderland, [7]; In The Penal Colony - ICA London, 1985, Adapted from a short story by Franz Kafka; Can't Sit Still - ICA London 1982, music by Chris Jordan; Rien Ne Va Plus - Arts Lab Birmingham, 1980, Music by Chris Jordan; Do It - Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London 1971, Music by Chris Jordan, masks by Paddy O'Hagan.