Searching for Hercules is a one man contemporary myth from Autojeu Theatre, created and performed by Sam Gibbs.

An anxious environmentalist goes looking for Hercules. Lion slayer. Stable cleaner. River diverter. Surely he would know what to do with a burning world?
But the monsters have changed. The hydra now multiplies in headlines. The Augean stables look suspiciously like our own backyards. And the great heroic gesture might be smaller and stranger than we would like.

Blending myth, memoir and playful interactions, Searching for Hercules asks what a labour means now. Is it protest. Is it parenting. Is it refusing to look away. With humour, and physical storytelling the performer shapeshifts between ancient legend and modern confession, inviting audiences to recognise themselves inside the myth.

Autojeu Theatre create bold, imaginative solo performance rooted in story, play and complicity. Previous work includes:

• One Man King Arthur: "This performer knows his craft, as with a battalion of varying voices, minimal nuances, gentle gestures or enormous sweeps of his arms he creates characters who carry his spell bound audience effortlessly, and always with humour, through a story that will never die” - Fringe Buzz: Barnstaple, England
• BEOWULF: "Pythonesque in their approach, mercurial in their depictions, irreverent in their storytelling, skilled in their craft" - FRONT ROW CENTRE: New York, USA
• Purgatory Passengers: “Sam Gibbs is undoubtedly talented and versatile and his noises are diverse and entertaining, as are the expressions on his elastic face.” - Buxton Fringe Review: Buxton, England
• How To Climb Mount Everest: "The very nature of How To Climb Mt. Everest is a circus of caricatures and buffoonery executed with a captivating blend of mime and deft physical prowess.” - FRINGEREVIEW.COM: London, England

This new piece continues that ambition of the company. To make theatre that feels epic and intimate at once, urgent in theme and generous in spirit.

Funny, searching and unexpectedly hopeful, Searching for Hercules suggests that heroism is not about waiting for a demigod to arrive. It is about discovering that the labours live on in us, and that even the smallest diverted river can change the course of things.