The Promise
Winner of the 2009 Helpman Award for Best Performance for Children
A celebration of love, loss and life.
A heartwarming, rollicking adventure story suitable for all ages.
Voted Best Performance by members of Live Performance Australia This accolade is the equivalent of a Tony Award in the USA, or an Olivier Award in England.
Overview
The Promise is a spectacular fusion of circus and puppetry that weaves an evocative story that travels from the dusty paddocks of rural Australia to the other side of the world, portraying a young boy’s journey to maturity and understanding, guided by the love of his elephant.
The Promise is powerful visual theatre accommodating a wide range of puppetry styles from the miniature, small scale, booth, shadow and large scale puppet and object images and integrates performers in a new and exciting showcase of their skills.
Storyline
F
elix is a young Australian boy growing up on a property in rural Australia. On his tenth birthday he receives an old and special book with the promise from his father that he will always be there for him, no matter what. Felix experiences the untimely death of his beloved Father and the loss of his home in a horrific bushfire. He departs for a new life in the city, leaving behind everything he has ever known.
On his arrival Felix, lost and alone, retreats into a world of his own with his toys and his precious book…. This book tells of a circus elephant and a boy who loved him more than anything or anyone in the world. The story within the special book describes how a young circus boy’s father, the elephant trainer, is dying, and how the father has his son promise him that he will never be parted from his elephant, no matter what. All too soon the boy’s promise is put to the test…
Via tempests, oceans, shipwrecks, exotic palaces and the sawdust filled Big Tops of the world, ten year old Felix and his loyal elephant encounter mystery, mayhem and magic. Their travels take them through jungles and temples, onto trains and into battles with bandits … until the pair find their true place in the world.
Themes
Values that are inherent within our circus 
family: with our commitment to the development and growth of responsible, dedicated, creative and mature young people who are an inspiration to the wider community.
Other information
The show features 125 costumes, two puppeteers, half a dozen puppets and a cast of 21. Suitable for ages six+.
Writer & Director: Sally Richardson
Assistant Director/Choreographer: Jodie Farrugia
Production Design: Richard Jeziorny
Lighting Design: Phil Lethlean
Composer/Musician/Sound Design: Steph O’Hara
Puppeteers: Jacob Williams & Sarah Kreigler
Cast: 21
Duration: 100 minutes, incl interval
