Director Phelim McDermott often involves artists from other art forms in his work. In this production, puppeteer and silk artist Basil Twist and London-based female acrobatic troupe Mimbre were brought in to add movement to the set and staging. Basil and Mimbre explored ways to create shapes on stage and interact with the silks that form part of the Aida set, on the floor and hanging from the Coliseum truss.

The acrobats create physical shapes in real time under silks.  In the gallery below, acrobats from Mimbre explore different ways to recreate the iconic obelisk fork which in integral to Tom Pye’s design while other artists blow wind through the silks using large flat fans.