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Company number: 3724349
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Past programme
Showcases an eclectic range of fresh and interesting contemporary work, largely by emerging artists
Hi, Mom
This story begins with a simple greeting, leading us into an intimate journey through the memories and reflections of three daughters on their mothers. Rooted in the real and vivid experiences of three performers, this theatrical piece delves into the evolving mother-daughter relationship, illuminating how each chapter of life reshapes understanding and strengthens bonds.
The shared biological connection between mothers and daughters is both intricate and compelling. For East Asian mothers and daughters, the imprint of traditional culture further influences this bond, creating unique tensions and ties between generations. As an Asian female creative team, we explore these shared memories, offering a fresh perspective on the relationship between daughters and their mothers.
Director Summer Yahan Xue with co-directors Isa Hui Ling Liu, Shuyi Alice Wang and Mika Shirahama used a range of theatrical techniques - including clowning, physical theatre, and object-based performance - and conducted three workshops to explore the emotional landscapes of mothers as seen through the eyes of their daughters. With the support of the production team, they have collaborated to bring these stories to life. Co-creators have previously worked on other productions that delve into East Asian family dynamics; Picasso 2033, a recent production, was awarded “Best Show” by AAA at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
We invite you to join us on this journey.
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings made through this service are subject to a small booking fee.
Move the City: A Community Play Project
Come and see a play by our community!
A story about different perspectives of living in the city of London, both from those watching from a distance and those being watched. From the rain falling from above to the trains running below, join us to share the experiences of the people who make London.
We've been running an Intergenerational Community Play across ten weeks this Autumn, culminating in this final performance.
Everyone performing is a local resident, and this opportunity is made possible by the Southwark Council Neighbourhoods Fund.
Tickets are FREE but advance booking is recommended.
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings for free tickets made through this service are not subject to a booking fee.
Supported by
After Liverpool
City Academy's Debut Theatre Company present a series of scenes about love and the limitations of communication.
James Saunders' play is a number of short episodes that are witty and pointed. They explore our desire to understand each other and make ourselves understood, and how just how futile verbal communication can be.
After Liverpool is certain to leave you with a sense of compassion, thoughtfulness and recognition from everyday life.
Please note bookings for this performance are managed by City Academy, not Blue Elephant Theatre.
ELEFUNNY Comedy Night
A terrific line-up of up-and-coming comedians is taking over Blue Elephant - grab a drink and witness some of the most exciting acts the UK comedy circuit has to offer!
A stellar night of comedy, platforming comedians from marginalised backgrounds.
Line-up includes:
Maple Zuo
Leah Davis
Jacob Hatton
Compered and additional set by regular ELEFUNNY host Fitzgerald Honger.
Praise for previous ELEFUNNY events:
"Great host and 7 acts, all of whom entertained us well. There was a good variety amongst the comedians and none disappointed. I would recommend this night!"
Audience Review
"Better than the Comedy Store!"
Audience feedback
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings made through this service are subject to a small booking fee.
Maple Zuo
This is Maple Zuo. I am a Chinese-Mongolia Comic. I have been doing comedy since 2017. I have done my own one hour special tour across Asia. In 2020, I got interviewed by BBC cultural frontline to share my comedy experience!
I started Comedy in the UK in 2023 So far, I have Won Comedy Store -King Gong and Won Up the Creek -beat the black out.
I became a Finalist of Leicester Square Theatre New Act of the Year 2023. I also perform regularly at Back Yard, Angel comedy and West End comedy club.
‘Slyly cheeky, Very engaging, A fully formed comedian, Well liked by audiences! ‘———Chortle.com
Leah Davis
Since kicking off her comedy career in 2022 Leah has reached the finals for the iconic Funny Women competition, Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian and BBC New Comedy Awards semi finals. She has smashed some of London’s most lethal gong shows including Beat The Blackout, Ding Dong Gong and was named a ‘Face of Comedy’ for 2023.
Jacob Hatton
Jacob Hatton is a south London stand-up and writer with a penchant for joke writing to back his sharp observations and flights of fancy. He was a finalist at the Hastings Fringe Best Newcomer in 2022, host of AAA Stand Up at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 where he was wrote one of the Daily Telegraph's Best Jokes of the Fringe in 2023.
"Proper Gags. Hatton's a strong comedy technician" - Chortle.
Fitzgerald Honger - Compere
A regular on the London comedy circuit, Fitzgerald Honger is a dynamic comedian who has performed in top comedy clubs across London and the UK including Up the Creek and the comedy store.
A rising star, Fitz’s style is observational and dead-pan, drawing on his personal relationships, work and taboo subjects to leave audiences in stitches.
When not doing comedy, Fitz is a producer. He’s worked for international companies spanning PR and broadcast television including MTV and Discovery, and has developed a wealth of contacts within the TV and entertainment industries.
Why We Left Home
Hibi loves tea! So he leaves home to find some tea. Maybe he can grow his own tea leaf? Lonely is the path to locate the seeds! Will Hibi finally be able to enjoy a cup of tea?
Told through mask and object theatre, Why We Left Home is a silly tale about leaving home and the past behind for some serious rebirth. Exploring the pain and joy of queerness and leaving home, this brand-new alternative comedy will serve you a nice heart-warming cup of tea, literally.
After the successful scratch performance at BOLD Elephant supported by Ensemble Not Found and Halfpace Theatre, Why We Left Home is coming to you in its full glory.
“Absolutely captivating.”
Audience member
“[Hector] possesses a distinct ability to oscillate between humour and bittersweetness, developing a deep relationship with the audience through subtle, nuanced shifts in performance and storytelling.”
Megan Brewer, Co-Artistic Director, Halfpace Theatre
Originally developed with support from Halfpace Theatre and Ensemble Not Found.
Hector T.J. Huang is a London-based Taiwanese & transgender multi-disciplinary theatre-maker who creates stories based on the lived experience of queerness and transness, migration, and trauma, woven together with haunting imageries and an offbeat humour. An alumnus of Curious School of Puppetry and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Hector’s practice combines puppetry, object theatre, dramatic writing and visual arts.
Chicken Shop Hermits is a puppetry and experimental theatre collective, founded by Hector T.J. Huang and Chiara Scoglio. By tackling themes of identity, belonging, and alienation, they combine disciplines of visual arts, writing and puppetry theatre with their international origins.
Previous works include digital puppetry short River’s World (commissioned by Little Angel Theatre), Lost Personhood: The Nuggets Anthology (The Hope Theatre), and My Haunted Dollhouse: Patina (Haphazard 2024, Z-Arts, Manchester).
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings made through this service are subject to a small booking fee.
Reviews
The Crawl
Unfortunately, owing to an illness with a performer, we have had to cancel the performance on 21st August. All bookers have been informed and refunds issued. We apologise for any disappointment and inconvenience caused.
Don't miss the swimming race of a lifetime: The Camberwell Crawl!
In this highly physical, fast-paced comedy, two clowns bring to life the world of competitive swimming.
Playing top-level athletes, sports commentators, hype-men and more, the clowns constantly shape-shift as they engage in increasing battles of one-upmanship.
The Crawl uses physical theatre, clown and audience interaction to explore the human desire to win at all costs.
The piece was devised (on land) by Alexander Burnett and Ellie Whittaker.
Flicker
Have you ever thought about your dad's cock at a funeral? If so, you'd probably dismiss it....
But what if your brain couldn't do that?
After a shitshow of a shag, Jo must hide a stain, a semi-naked man, and her terrifying intrusive thoughts from Anna, before she loses everything.
When being queer goes from one of many intrusive thoughts to a real feeling, how do you know what’s true? And if you can’t trust your own thoughts, what can you trust?
Flicker is a modern-day sex farce exploring Pure OCD, created through consultation with OCD UK.
Running time: 60mins
Age Guidance: 16+
Flicker contains potentially triggering themes, scenes of a sexual nature and strong language.
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings made through this service are subject to a small booking fee.
plewds
A cocky gay clown in therapy.
A clueless detective.
An X-Factor sob story.
Pop culture and queer drama drama drama collide against a rainbow backdrop.
A surreal, fast-paced and darkly funny exploration of a queer relationship gone bad. Blending clowning, drag and a subversive take on the trauma-parading solo show, plewds is about the lengths we’ll go to avoid what’s right in front of us, in a story where the villains don’t look like villains. Being queer is the best, right?
WINNER of Summerhall’s Mary Dick Award 2024.
plewds is written and performed by Kathrine Payne (they/them), a theatre maker and actor from Stockport, who trained at LAMDA. Kathrine makes theatre that is funny, queer and political. They developed plewds as part of Camden People’s Theatre’s Starting Blocks scheme and Soho Theatre Writers Lab, before it won the 2024 Mary Dick Award at Summerhall. Kathrine is a part of Sweet Beef Theatre, a Pleasance Associate Artist company.
Praise for previous work:
"Powerful and compelling" ★★★★ - West End Best Friend
"Flits effortlessly between comedy and darkness" ★★★★★ - The Student
"Utterly poignant" ★★★★½ - Theatre and Other Things
"Clever, accessible and hugely entertaining" ★★★ - All Edinburgh Theatre
"Dazzles and disarms" - There Ought to be Clowns
"Payne is ridiculously funny" - Liam O’Dell
Age guidance: 14+, contains strong language and sexual references
Content Guidance:
Strobe lighting
Audience interaction (optional)
Contains topics that some viewers may find distressing, including homophobic language, transphobia, domestic violence, sexual assault, and depictions of mental illness.
Made with support from Camden People's Theatre and Soho Theatre.
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings made through this service are subject to a small booking fee.
Luke Nixon and Jim Midge Work In Progress
Luke Nixon and his character Jim Midge present a work in progress. Expect songs, tales of Royal Wootton Bassett and anxious anecdotes.
Luke is a Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year finalist, Musical Comedy Awards Third Place and West End New Act finalist.
Luke has obviously funny bones Jenny Eclair
One of the all-time great visual gags Chortle.co.uk
MC'd by Jen Nolan: Comedian, train wreck and viable candidate to be your next step mum. Infamous as one-half of 'Pokes & Jokes' podcast.
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings made through this service are subject to a small booking fee.
After Closing
Dive into the raw feelings and intricate dramas of After Closing, a Scene Study showcase performed by a talented ensemble.
Featuring compelling scenes from acclaimed plays like Closer, After Life, Glengarry Glen Ross and more, this performance explores themes of loss, relationships, ambition and betrayal.
Performed by City Academy Assemble Theatre Company.
Please note bookings for this performance are managed by City Academy, not Blue Elephant Theatre.
ELEFUNNY Comedy Night
Unfortunately, owing to unforeseen circumstances we have had to cancel ELEFUNNY. All bookers have been informed and refunds issued. We apologise for any disappointment and inconvenience caused.
A terrific line-up of up-and-coming comedians is taking over Blue Elephant - grab a drink and witness some of the most exciting acts the UK comedy circuit has to offer!
A stellar night of comedy, platforming comedians from marginalised backgrounds.
Line-up includes:
Maple Zou
Frances Keyton
MOSS (James Watkins)
Leah Davis
Junior Booker
Compered and additional set by regular ELEFUNNY host Fitzgerald Honger.
Praise for previous ELEFUNNY events:
"Great host and 7 acts, all of whom entertained us well. There was a good variety amongst the comedians and none disappointed. I would recommend this night!"
Audience Review
"Better than the Comedy Store!"
Audience feedback
Maple Zou
Maple Zuo is a Chinese-Mongolian comedian who has been performing since 2017. She has toured Asia with her own one-hour special and was interviewed by BBC's Cultural Frontline in 2020 to share her comedy experiences.
Zou began performing comedy in the UK in 2023. Since then, she has won the Comedy Store's King Gong and Up the Creek's Beat the Blackout competitions. She was also a finalist in the Leicester Square Theatre New Act of the Year 2023. Zuo performs regularly at Back Yard, Angel Comedy, and West End Comedy Club.
‘Slyly cheeky, Very engaging, A fully formed comedian, Well liked by audiences!' Chortle.com
Frances Keyton
Frances Keyton, the spirited Welsh comedian, brings a unique twist to the comedy scene. As the offspring of a father known for his erotica writing, Frances adds a dash of cheeky charm to her performances.
An alumnus of Soho Comedy Labs Plus 2023, she was a finalist in Reading New Act of the Year 2024 (3rd), West End New Act of the Year 2022, Max Turner Prize 2022, SYTYF 2022, Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year 2022, and shortlisted for Funny Women Awards 2021 & BBC New Comedy Awards 2021.
“Frances weaves between confident humour and openness with ease.” - Broadway World
MOSS (James Watkins)
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James Watkins (Moss) is a queer neurodivergent clown already crafting a unique and charismatic voice in comedy as a sort of self-aware, self-depreciating forest goblin. He's just as likely to joke about ketchup packets as he is about the socio-economic state of the world. You might not understand what he's talking about, but I can guarantee it will make you laugh.
'Moss' energy is pure joy and it’s impossible not to remember him after a set'
'Polished madness'
'Inventive, witty and loveable way of delivering a set' - Live next to the Apollo
Leah Davis
Since kicking off her comedy career in 2022 Leah has reached the finals for the iconic Funny Women competition, Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian and BBC New Comedy Awards semi finals. She has smashed some of London’s most lethal gong shows including Beat The Blackout, Ding Dong Gong and was named a ‘Face of Comedy’ for 2023.
Way Back When
Join us for Way Back When, an interactive family stage show by Jacqui Livingston.
Alex is bored at Grandma's house, while Grandma is sorting through donations for a jumble sale. With nothing else to do, Alex starts helping, and discovers each item has its own tale of Grandma's travels from Jamaica to London, aboard the Windrush and beyond. Enjoy vibrant storytelling, traditional games, and audience participation in this heartwarming journey through time.
Whether you're young or young at heart, Way Back When will leave you with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.
Originally staged in 2019, we're delighted to bring Way Back When to audiences across Southwark and beyond as part of Southwark Council's Windrush 75 celebrations.
Tickets are FREE but have limited availability, so advance booking is recommended.
Suitable for all ages, Specifically 6 -10
After-school Performances:
Friday 21st June at 4.30pm(Blue Elephant Theatre)
Monday 24th June at 4.00pm (Walworth Library)
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings for free tickets do not incur a booking fee.
Windson High
Step into the world of Windson High, a captivating new musical that beautifully explores the themes of coming of age and finding your identity. Following the heartfelt story of Lin, a 16-year-old American-born Chinese girl, who visits China for the first time after her parents' divorce. As the chaos of COVID-19 encompasses the world, Lin and her mother are stranded and decide to make Beijing their new home, where Lin is enrolled at the prestigious international school, Windson High.
Experience Lin's inspiring journey as she navigates this new environment, meets people from all walks of life, and embarks on a profound quest of self-discovery. Against the backdrop of a world turned upside down, Lin confronts challenges that test her resilience and reshape her understanding of identity and belonging.
As she finds her footing in a new country and culture, Lin's story is a poignant reminder of the strength and spirit that can emerge in the face of adversity. Windson High is an uplifting tale that will resonate with anyone who has ever searched for their place in the world.
Tickets can also be booked by phoning the Ticketsource Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366, available from Monday to Friday, 9.00AM to 7.00PM and Saturday, 9.00AM to 5.00PM (excluding bank holidays). Bookings made through this service are subject to a small booking fee.
A Legacy of Loss
On 27th October 1920, an estimated 30,000 mourners filed past Terence MacSwiney’s coffin reposing in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark two days after his death in Brixton Prison. Many more lined the streets as the coffin was brought through London on its return to Ireland.
The Lord Mayor of Cork’s hunger strike brought the cause for Irish self-rule into the heart of the capital. MacSwiney’s protest at his jail sentence was rarely out of the papers causing George V to worry about the effect that this could have on Britain’s reputation overseas. One story rarely told is what it might have been like for Muriel, his wife, who supported him throughout.
In this new play, Muriel MacSwiney, now in her sixties and living in Kent, looks back at her journey during the turbulent years of 1915 -1923 as she eschewed her wealthy background in favour of the cause of Irish freedom.
Green Curtain Theatre is dedicated to creating and producing new writing that tells the stories of Irish people living in Great Britain. Set up in 2011, they have staged eleven new plays, held many live events, workshops/writing callouts and produced work for the digital space. They have performed onsite at the Palace of Westminster and Wandsworth Prison.
A Legacy of Loss is supported by the Irish Embassy London Department of Foreign Affairs.
Praise for Green Curtain Theatre's previous work:
Green Curtain Theatre gets to the heart of the second generation of the Irish psyche and the often-troubled lives of our forefathers. Just Above Dogs is a 'must see' for Irish of all generations.
Fiona Audley, Irish Post
Powerful drama of 1930s Irish family at war in an East End threatened by fascism.
Mary Conway, Morning Star
Coming out of Ireland, the play helped me see more clearly what Ireland truly is.
Joe Horgan, Irish Post
Supported by
The Great Easter Bunny Trials
The reigning Easter Bunny has decided to retire - who will take their place?
With all the bunny rabbits after this eggiest of jobs, there's only one thing for it. They must complete a series of trials to see who is most suitable!
A new interactive performance for all the family.
Best suited to ages 3+
Running time: Approx 45 mins
Performances for young people at the Blue Elephant are relaxed with audience members free to leave the space and return as they need to.
Family performances are on Sunday 24th March, Friday 29th Marhc and Saturday 30th March at 11am & 2pm.
School performances are on Wednesday 20th March, Thursday 21st March, Friday 22nd March, Wednesday 27th March and Thursday 28th March at 10.45am and 1.30pm. Limited availability remains!
Supported by Southwark Council’s Culture Together Fund
Reviews
Quotes from reviews of our Christmas show by our Year 3 Young Reviewers
