An Interview with Tall Stories Artistic Director Toby Mitchell and the brand-new show, The Elmer Adventure.
Tall Stories’ Artistic Director Toby Mitchell co-founded the company in 1997. Toby is behind many of the company’s triumphant shows over the last 27 years and most recently directed Tall Stories’ hugely successful Olivier Award-nominated, West End and Edinburgh Fringe 2024 sell-out, The Smeds and The Smoos. Toby is directing Tall Stories’ brand-new show, The Elmer Adventure, based on the hugely popular Elmer stories by the late writer and illustrator David McKee.
Elmer is such a vibrant and unique character. How do you approach bringing his colourful personality to life on stage?
We’re using an eclectic mix of storytelling, music, songs, puppetry and humour to bring Elmer and his adventures to life – culminating in an exciting appearance by a large-scale Elmer puppet, designed by Yvonne Stone.
The Elmer stories are about celebrating differences. How will this important message be conveyed to young audiences through The Elmer Adventure?
The adventurers in The Elmer Adventure retell three of David McKee's classic Elmer stories, which all have inclusion and friendship at their core. Tall Stories is celebrating the differences all around us through the variety of performers on stage - with all their external and internal differences. The characters' personalities are brought out during the show, highlighting emotions, loyalty and friendship.
Portraying elephants and animals to recreate the Elmer stories on stage will require a lot of physical expressiveness. What kind of preparation or training did the performers undergo to bring the jungle animals to life on stage?
The performers have many different skills – physical and others. We watched videos of different animals to find ways of portraying them physically – but more importantly, we worked on discovering exactly what kind of character each animal has.
Elmer is known for his sense of humour and playfulness. How will these traits be balanced with the deeper themes of the story?
The show is a mixture of playful, humorous and serious – just like real life. The deeper themes are ever-present – just like real life!
David McKee’s stories are beloved by children worldwide. What were the biggest challenges in adapting these tales for the stage, and how did you overcome them?
There are a lot of animals in the stories! We’re using different techniques (storytelling, physicality, puppetry) to bring them to life. There’s also a lot of fun in the stories – and the show.
Elmer is a visual feast with his patchwork colours. How did you approach the design elements, like costumes and set, to capture the essence of the books?
Our designer Amanda Mascarenhas has been very much led by the books in creating our vibrant jungle set. Our adventurers are using all sorts of different objects and costumes to tell the stories. And our large-scale Elmer puppet is a game-changer.
Children's theatre requires a different level of engagement from its audience. How will you ensure that the production will captivate and hold the attention of young viewers?
We focus as much on the grown-ups in the audience as on the children. We never condescend to the younger members of our audience – we challenge them to keep up! Having said that, we hold preview performances, followed by a period of re-rehearsal, before the official premiere – so that we can judge audience reactions and get feedback.
Music in children's theatre often helps to convey emotion. How did you use music to enhance the story?
The show is full of music and songs – composed by the brilliant Matthew Floyd Jones. And Elmer himself trumpets along!
The Elmer Adventure: 30th October – 3rd November
The Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
The Elmer Adventure | Southbank Centre
Further Information: The Elmer Adventure - Tall Stories