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The work of Romeo Castellucci and Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio is considered by many to be the leading experimental theatre of our time. Often deemed shocking and certainly uncompromising, Castellucci makes work on a vast scale that challenges what theatre is and indeed what it can be. Considered visionary by his legions of fans, Castellucci makes theatre that delves deep into the human condition. For bite09, the Barbican presents the UK premiere of Castellucci's trilogy freely inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, a barbicanbite09 co-commission and part of the SPILL Festival of Performance. The trilogy premiered at the 2008 Festival d'Avignon (where Castellucci was Associate Artist) and comes to the Barbican as part of a world tour. The Barbican run is one of only a few opportunities world-wide to see the trilogy in its entirety. For his trilogy, Castellucci has dismantled, exposed and transformed Dante's epic text: Inferno (hell) is a deeply unsettling place where humanity is at risk; Paradiso (paradise) is a theatre installation in which the audience is free to roam the space, a short burst of paradise - a transient moment; Purgatorio (purgatory) takes place in the liminal space between the real and the imaginary, and is a disturbing account of one family's appalling ritual. Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso are part of Paris Calling, a Franco-British season of performing arts and the trilogy is supported by the Culture Programme (2007-2013) of the European Union.