SAND by Kook Ensemble to Play Edinburgh Summerhall
Conceived and directed by Michaela O'Connor and Sean Kempton, SAND plays Summerhall's Main Hall.
Against an eroding North Devon coastline, a couple try to navigate the complexities of living with dementia in a wordless circus theatre show combining circus skills with a meticulously crafted storytelling. Dylan and Heather, alongside versions of their younger selves appearing in moments of clarity, uncover profound truths about love, memoryand resilience. Telling the story through floor acrobatics, acrobatic dance and object manipulation, the two remember their lives together as daily tasks grow more difficult for Dylan and objects dissipate into sand. Sand is a gentle and touching story of past joys and present acceptance. Performances will run at Summerhall, Main Hall, 6 – 17 Aug 2026.
Sand was presented as a short tour in Spring 2025 with a 20 venue tour to be announced for Autumn 2026. The company worked with the University of Exeter and those living with dementia in their home county of Devon to develop the show, and will conduct memory cafes alongside the autumn tour. Development was supported by National Theatre Generate Program and Landmark Theatres.
Co-creator and co-director Sean Kempton said “Sand has been an important part of Kook ensembles stable, we feel it sits really well with how we like to build work. Creating strong non-verbal, visual, and physical worlds that can both move and amuse an audience. It was very important for us to develop an intimate relationship with the audience, and the connection between performer and viewer became a central point in how we approached the piece. When we opened in North Devon, it became apparent that this piece had the strength to profoundly move an audience, and we have felt a strong responsibility to the subject matter and those who come to see the show. Sand is a product of many years of research into how to develop and direct acrobats to achieve emotionally connected work that is told through their acrobatic skills without losing their heart.”
Kook Ensemble is an award-winning contemporary circus theatre company based in North Devon led by Artistic Directors Michaela O'Connor and Sean Kempton, who each come with 30 years of circus experience. Their work combines emotional story telling with physical vocabulary of circus arts, creating performances that are both visually rich and deeply human. They have developed a collaborative and character driven approach to circus theatre. Their productions use physical comedy, theatre and circus to explore timely and poignant themes. In 2025, they won the Flourishing Culture Award in the Performing Arts category. Sand is Kook Ensemble' s second show following the critically acclaimed Filibuster. Both Michaela and Sean have worked with companies including Cirque du Soleil, Dragone, Secret Cinema and Cameron Mackintosh, and Sean previously appeared at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in his solo show Stuff (2016).
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