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5 May 2006 The Sultan's Elephant A Show by Royal de Luxe Friday 5th - Sunday 7th May - The Show St James's Park 
Shhh Something incredible is coming to St James's Park. On Friday morning, St James's Park will stage the opening scene of the biggest free theatre spectacle London has ever seen. Amazing, miraculous, unforgettable: it'll take your breath away. The Sultan's Elephant is a fairytale for children and adults alike. Created by theatrical magicians Royal de Luxe, it tells the story of a sultan from far-off lands and his magical, time-travelling mechanical elephant. Forty feet high and 42 tonnes in weight, this beautiful creature will capture the hearts and minds of everyone who sees it. The Sultan's Elephant will be played out over three days in the streets, squares and public spaces of central London. The Sultan's party will be departing and returning daily to St James's Park, for celebrations and a good night's sleep. Commenting on the arrival of The Sultan's Elephant , Chief Executive of the Royal Parks, Mark Camley said: "We are delighted to be a part of this magical event. It's spectacular, it's entertaining and it's free for everyone. "We have been working closely with Royal De Luxe and partners to ensure the sultan and the elephant enjoy their stay in the park. Helen Marriage, whose company, Artichoke, is producing the show in London, commented: "This event places an extraordinary, moving, yet approachable, piece of art at the very centre of a capital city's life "Royal de Luxe's work is amongst the very best of a long tradition of European street theatre that started in this country with the work of Welfare State International and is now more frequently seen on the continent than on UK streets. By inviting the company here to London with this magical work, we wanted to reassert the importance of monumental live performance in the life of a city's culture, bringing together visitors and residents alike in a moment of shared delight," Ms Marriage said. To find out more about the The Sultan's Elephant and where you can follow the show over the weekend go to: www.sultanelephant.com Source: The Royal Parks For further information contact: The Royal Parks Press Office T: 020 7298 2128 E: press@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk Editor's notes: Millions of Londoners and tourists visit the eight Royal Parks for free each year. The 5,000 acres of carefully conserved historic parkland provide unparalleled opportunities for enjoyment, exploration and healthy living in the heart of the capital. The Royal Parks are: Bushy Park, The Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent's Park (with Primrose Hill), Richmond Park and St James's Park. The Sultan's Elephant: Royal de Luxe was founded by director Jean Luc Courcoult in 1979, and they have travelled all over the world ever since. They spent six months in residence in Africa and three months in China creating new shows. The company has performed all over Europe as well as Korea, China, Vietnam, Chile and Africa. Some of their most celebrated shows - including La véritable histoire de France, Roman photo tournage and Le péplum have been revived many times and performed in front of thousands of spectators. In the past dozen years, they have created a series of spectacular shows involving giant figures as big as 11 or 12 metres high. The Sultan's Elephant is the fifth in this series of giant pieces, the others being Le géant tombé du ciel, Le géant tombé du ciel : dernier voyage, Retour d'Afrique, and Les chasseurs de giraffes. The Sultan's Elephant is produced by Artichoke, a company who create extraordinary events in unusual spaces. It was founded by Helen Marriage and Nicky Webb, whose projects include the first arts programme at Canary Wharf in the early nineties, and transforming the Salisbury Festival from a local event into what The Times called 'a miracle of modern British culture.' The performances in London are funded by Arts Council England and the London Development Agency. The event is produced by Artichoke and co-produced by LIFT. Business partners include the Power Station, London, Grange Hotels, WestOne, WSP and The Wolseley. Additional support is from AFAA (Association Francaise d'Action Artistique), City of Westminster, Transport for London, Totally London and NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and other benefactors. Media partner is BBC LONDON. The original show, La visite du sultan des Indes sur son éléphant á voyager dans le temps, was commissioned by the cities of Nantes and Amiens to mark the centenary of the death of Jules Verne. Additional funds came from the French Ministry of Culture and Communication; the regions of Pays de la Loire and Picardie; Le Channel Arts Centre, Calais; the Zomer van Antwerpen/Festival d'Été, Antwerp, and AFAA. Operational partners are Unusual Services, Westminster City Council, Greater London Authority, GLA/Trafalgar Square, Royal Parks, Visit London, Metropolitan Police, London Buses, London Underground, Transport for London, London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, London Traffic Control Centre and ARK. |
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