Josh is an interdisciplinary artist working in the medium of performance. Through bold design, visual composition, and artistic collaboration, Josh aims to create performances which tantalise the eyes and ears, as well as the imagination and intellect. At the core of his work is the element of live-music, allowing his work to explore the territory between the dichotomies of concert|theatre, live|mediated, stillness|movement. Josh uses visual and performative metaphor as a means to communicate at a subconscious level, while using symbolism to activate the consciousness. His arts practice centres on the creation of sublime experiences which engross and entangle the senses, whether it be installation, performance, or documentation.
Starting his career as a dancer, his works now span a wide range of disciplines from theatrical design to installations, collaboratively devised performances to direction of music-theatre works.
Josh Armstrong was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA and moved to Scotland in 2006. He studied Experimental Theatre at New York University and Contemporary Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland [formerly RSAMD]. Josh is a Cryptic Associate. For more information on Cryptic, visit: www.cryptic.org.uk
Recent works include: the co-direction of Sound to Sea for Cryptic; the design of Judith William’s Red Shoes for Tramway; the concept & direction of The Embassy for Cryptic; the design & direction of David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion and World to Come for Cryptic; the design & direction of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Le Jongleur de Notre Dame for the Hebrides Ensemble.
Josh worked as Assistant Director/Choreographer for Cryptic’s Confined Human Condition and Cryptic’s 2010 production Orlando. In 2011, he was Assistant Director for Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off, a co-production between The Lyceum Theatre and Dundee Rep.
His work has been presented at Melbourne Recital Centre (Melbourne, AU), St. Mary’s Cathedral Crypt (Sydney, AU), Tantrum Theatre (Newcastle, AU), Woolongong Art Gallery (Woolongong, AU), St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Parramatta, AU), Opera North (Leeds, UK), St. Magnus Festival (Kirkwall, Orkney), The Arches (Glasgow, UK), The Tron Theatre (Glasgow, UK), Tramway (Glasgow, UK), The Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh, UK), Espoo City Theatre (Espoo, Finland), Centre for Contemporary Art (Glasgow, UK), The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (Glasgow, UK), The Brewery Arts Centre (Kendal, UK), Edinburgh Jazz Festival (Edinburgh, UK), The Piers Institute (Glasgow, UK), Teatro La Tea (New York City, USA), PlayhouseSquare Center (Cleveland, USA).
As a performer his credits include Bye Bye Birdie with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and the regional U.S. premiere of the musical Reefer Madness.
He currently lectures in Contemporary Performance Practice at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.