The Department of Distractions at the Crucible Studio

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

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The Department of Distractions

31 January-2 February 2019

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

The Department of Distractions at the Crucible Studio
Third Angel
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The Department of Distractions is a fantastic conceit, an organisation so clandestine you won’t have heard of them and they specialise in distracting people from the truth in their everyday lives. Have you ever sat down to send an important email and got distracted by a web-story about weight-loss tea? That’s The Department of Distractions at work. A single glove in the street…a torn-up love-letter on the Metrolink…a pair of shoes hanging by tied laces on the overhead street cables? All examples of the Department at their best. Occupying a space somewhere between George Orwell’s 1984 and the warm familiarity of procrastination, The Department of Distractions explores a theme that most of us can relate to.

In The Department of Distractions, Third Angel bring you a conspiracy-theory documentary-exposé detective story for the 21st century that asks: What aren’t you looking at?

Sheffield-based theatre company Third Angel have been making exciting and original contemporary performance since 1995. Encompassing live art, performance, installation, film, documentary and photography, their work – usually experimental though always accessible – speaks directly, honestly and engagingly to its audience.

Third Angel have shown work in theatres, galleries, cinemas, office blocks, car parks, swimming baths, on the internet and TV, in school halls, a damp cellar in Leicester and a public toilet in Bristol. The company has shown work at festivals and venues across the UK, mainland Europe and further afield, including Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Belgium, Portugal, France, Spain, Russia, Lebanon, Brazil and the USA.

The Department of Distractions is a fresh and provocative 90-minute performance – a conspiracy theory detective story for a contemporary audience – fans of  Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror should definitely check it out.

Where to go near The Department of Distractions at the Crucible Studio

Graves Gallery
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Graves Gallery

Graves Gallery is home to Sheffield’s visual art collection, with a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions arranged across eight galleries.

Millenium Gallery Sheffield
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Millennium Gallery

Hosting major exhibitions by artists renowned both locally and internationally, Millennium Gallery is the cultural gateway to Sheffield.

The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
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The Lyceum Theatre

Built to a traditional proscenium arch design, Sheffield’s Lyceum is the only surviving theatre outside of London designed by architect W.G.R. Sprague.

Sheffield
Shop
Juno Books

Friendly local queer and intersectional feminist bookshop in Sheffield. Visit for interesting fiction and non fiction books.

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Hope Works

An old WW1 gun-barrel-factory reimagined and repurposed as a hub of Sheffield’s creativity, with music and art events regularly put on.

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Oisoi

A high-quality pan-Asian restaurant in Sheffield’s city centre, Oisoi is worth a visit to the Steel City right now.

The Sheffield Tap
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The Sheffield Tap

With a wide range of craft beers and its very own on-site microbrewery, Sheffield Tap is uniquely housed within a restored railway station.

Showroom Workstation
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Showroom Workstation

Sheffield’s premier arts centre houses an established independent cinema along with an entrepreneurial hub for creative and digital industries.

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