Woman dressed in a suit and rabbit ears holding a bow aloft, pictured inside a cello.

Carnival

Aurora and internationally renowned physical-theatre-makers Frantic Assembly present a fantastical reimagining that pairs The Carnival of the Animals with a new work that asks: what happens when the carnival is over?

Aurora Orchestra
Christopher Akrill actor, dancer
Naomi Frederick actor
Simisola Majekodunmi lighting design
Jon Bausor production design
Kate Wakeling script
Jane Mitchell co-director
Scott Graham co-director

Saint-Saëns:
The Carnival of the Animals (25’)
Richard Ayres:
Dr Frompou’s Anatomical Study of an Orchestra (30’)

Download programme notes.

Celebrating 20 years of orchestral innovation in 2025, Aurora Orchestra marks its birthday with a brand-new Orchestral Theatre production developed in collaboration with the award-winning Frantic Assembly. The performance opens with a new staging of The Carnival of the Animals, played from memory by Aurora Orchestra. Saint-Saëns’ vibrant introduction to orchestral instruments is infused with movement, design, lighting and new text by Kate Wakeling.

Richard Ayres’ riotous new work Dr Frompou’s Anatomical Study of an Orchestra then invites us behind the scenes of the Carnival to see what happens to the performers when the show is over. Specially commissioned for this production, the piece introduces us to the madcap scientist Dr Frompou, who keeps the instruments of the orchestra captive in a laboratory, performing sinister musical experiments and finding new ways to make strange and powerful sounds. Find out what happens when the instruments begin to stage a rebellion!

Suitable for all ages from 7 upwards.

Image gallery

A gallery slider

Man onstage wearing a lab coat with an trolley filled with bottles and vials of coloured lquids.

Carnival

©Julian Guidera
Musicians onstage, two men are holding a woman in the air as she plays the flute.

Carnival

©Julian Guidera
A violinist, a trumpet player and a woman holding a book arranged on stage.

Julian Guidera

A group of musicians wearing black, standing onstage with their instruments, lit by circus bulb lights.

Carnival

©Julian Guidera

This performance is an Aurora Orchestra/Southbank Centre co-production developed in collaboration with Frantic Assembly.

Main image: Carnival of the Animals © Stanton Media

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