Who we are

Assembly of Elephants creates new performance work in live theatre, digital capture and audio. We make theatre, video, podcasts and radio works. We seek out ideas that demand an audience, and works from our elders that offer wisdom now.

Then, we come together to make the work – a multifarious crew looking to stretch their skill-base – actors writing, writers and directors becoming producers, designers directing a show. A lot of story-tellers work across mediums and do many different things – yet are often ‘type-cast’ into a usual role or job. We aim to break that pattern up, to offer experienced artists the opportunity to chance their arm in a different role, developing a new work.

AoE then produce that work live, and capture it digitally (theatre or audio). The production is available for hire or sale on our digital platform, along with comprehensive learning support material for teachers wanting to engage their students with the work. The productions are designed for a wider audience – not only the education sector but community engagement, service providers, individuals and families, anyone who loves being told a story. And they’re available everywhere, at any time.

Our industry is plagued by its gigging format. Through these sales, AoE is aiming to create a small but regular income stream for artists. We can’t think of any other industry that would tolerate these ongoing levels of employment insecurity – for such low rates of pay.

Since we began nearly four years ago, Assembly of Elephants has:

• produced a podcast series (My Father’s Wars)
• performed live readings of the podcast scripts at a number of different history and library events
• supported the research and writing of a further audio drama (the spy thriller, Put Out into the Deep), to be released by end 2021,
• created and developed with its partner, Flipside Circus, a physical theatre circus work that warms the heart – dogs, kids, young ‘dog-children’ navigating those early intense schoolyard relationships (Dogs in the Schoolyard, QPAC, Cremorne Theatre, May 2021), and
• developed My Father’s Wars for performance and recorded this in front of a live audience, to be released end 2021.

There are three other audio/theatre scripts (in collaboration with other independent companies) currently on the slate for research, writing and development.

But, above all, we try to ask the questions we’re all asking… And so, Pierre Corneille was right:

“If people want to know what an elephant is like, they are like people. Only more so.”