We are...

originally a company of four men living in London. With the death of Charlie Meyrick in May 2011 we are now Andrew Downs, Andrew Barker and Nic Sandiland. We have been together making performance works since 1990.

Charlie Meyrick

Charlie, a founder member of The Five Andrews, died on 21 May 2011.

Charlie’s open-hearted ability to find the best in anyone will leave many people in a dozen or so countries bereft of one of the warmest and most lemonly souls. 

We had a day-long celebration of Charlie's artistic life at Chisenhale Dance Space in London on Saturday 18 February 2012.

Rosemary Lee's DVD 'On Taking Care' about her 2009 project 'Common Dance' is dedicated to Charlie.

Andrew Barker 

Andrew is the de facto principal director and designer for The Five Andrews. He is a graphic designer specialising in information design. Most of his work is in book design and wayfinding.

Nic Sandiland

Nic Sandiland is a UK based artist working between the areas of installation, performance and film. He originally trained as an electronics engineer before studying dance and performance in the late 80s.

Andrew Downs

By trade, formerly a sound engineer, now a digital producer. He's written and recorded most of the original texts used in our performances and a handful of our soundtracks. He loves photography and occasionally makes music as Abigail Politely Decided.

Guest appearances

Since 1990 guest performers and co-devisors have included Nicky Brealey, Phoebe Frame, Andrew Downes (as distinct from Andrew Downs), Jonathan Megaw, Rebecca Skelton, Claudia Adriazola Brandt, Ed Birch, Meredith Blackburn, Irene Hall, Carl Boardman, John Elgey, Claudia Kappenberg.

Penny Wildgoose, Sandra Barefoot and Elissa Haworth were also part of the group that formed in early 1990 which became The Five Andrews.

Our performances

A surreal, quietly gleeful surface is punctured and underpinned by bodiliness and suggestions of dreams. We collaborate in ritual and delight to draw the viewer into our hypothetical lemonly realm.

Costume and visual design

Our costumes are designed and created or commissioned by Andrew Barker. 

Costume fabricators : Julian Latorre, Angela Abena.

Soundtracks

Specially composed music by Dr Mark Horrocks, Dr Jon Lever, Simon Redfern and Andrew Downs.

Texts

Original texts by Andrew Downs.

Direction

Andrew Barker is our regular in-house director but we have also worked with guest directors including Kate Brown, Ernst Fischer, Thomas Kampe and Claudia Kappenberg.

Media

Film-makers

Andrew James, Claudia Kappenberg.

Photography

Kim French, Sam Doyle, Giacomino Parkinson, Tony Burch, Christian Glaus, Paul Sewell, Linh Tang, Benedict Johnson. Unless otherwise credited photography on the website is by Andrew Downs.

Behind the scenes calamity avoidance

Paul Sewell, Kim French, Carla Schafer, Mark Horrocks.

Website

Producer: Andrew Downs. From October 2012 hosted and templated by squarespace six. September 2003 redesign Andrew Barker, Paul Finn.