Carnival

Roll up, roll up! Aurora Orchestra welcomes you to its latest Orchestral Theatre adventure, a reimagining of The Carnival of the Animals that asks: what happens when the carnival is over?

In the first half of this new production, Aurora presents a staging of The Carnival of the Animals. Saint-Saëns’ vibrant introduction to orchestral instruments is performed from memory and infused with movement, design, lighting and new text by Kate Wakeling: from the virtuosic flight of the flute to the demon speed of the pianists and the floor-shaking footsteps of the double bass to the soft glides of the cello, prepare to be dazzled by this spectacular carnival parade.

In a playful twist, the second part of Aurora’s Carnival takes us behind the curtain to see what happens to the performers when the show is over. Specially commissioned for this production, Richard Ayres’ new work Dr Frompou’s Anatomical Study of an Orchestra introduces us to the madcap scientist Dr Frompou, who keeps the instruments of the orchestra captive in a laboratory, performing musical experiments and finding new ways to make strange and powerful sounds. 

Brought to life with movement from internationally-renowned physical theatre company Frantic Assembly, find out what happens when the performers begin to stage a rebellion…

An Aurora Orchestra/Southbank Centre co-production developed in collaboration with Frantic Assembly

Carnival is kindly supported by the Vaughan Williams Foundation and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at The London Community Foundation.