An allegory about the sense of community between ordinary plot and heroic and comic fantasy
A reflection on exclusion, hope, and the human need for belonging.
Assembly Hall, created by choreographer Crystal Pite and playwright Jonathon Young for their company Kidd Pivot, unfolds a distinctive allegory about the sense of community. The work takes place in a local assembly hall, where a group of enthusiasts who reenact medieval plays gathers for their annual meeting: the countdown is relentless, costs are rising, members are dwindling, and the assembly risks disappearing.
It is within this context that Pite weaves an intimate and mythical universe, flowing between ordinary plot and heroic and comic fantasy. The eight characters, performed by Kidd Pivot dancers, alternate between bureaucratic debate and fantastical embodiments: clad in armour, they become knights, maidens and legendary figures in a choreography that shifts between the present and an idealised past.
The use of text is unconventional: the voices we hear are dramatic recordings that the dancers synchronise with precise lip and body movements. This device creates a constant dialogue between word and gesture and, at the same time, brings dramatic richness and humour.
The set design, lighting and sound close this dual world with a subtle yet intense aesthetic. The stage design blends with the choreographic action to immerse the audience in a framework in which the administrative and the mythical worlds merge with grace and depth.
Assembly Hall is not only a comedy and a drama, but also a reflection on exclusion, hope, and the human need for belonging. Imagination becomes both refuge and weapon, and the purpose of these reenactors is revealed as a powerful metaphor for our desire to build and preserve community.
For Crystal Pite, movement is the secret memory of humanity. Her works have established her as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary dance, capable of articulating emotion and theatrical intelligence with hypnotic clarity. With a language that fuses precision, theatricality and an overflowing imagination, Pite redefines the narrative limits of the body. Her career has made Kidd Pivot an essential reference of our time.
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Dates and tickets
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General public sale on Monday 15 June 2026 at 10h.
Artistic profile
- Direction and choreography
- Crystal Pite
- Direction and dramaturgy
- Jonathon Young
- Composition and sound
- Owen Belton, Alessandro Juliani and Meg Roe
- Set design
- Jay Gower Taylor
- Costume design
- Nancy Bryant
- Lighting design
- Tom Visser
- Video
- Cybèle Young
- Co-production
- Edinburgh International Festival, Sadler’s Wells, Théâtre de la Ville, Centro Servizi Culturali Santa Chiara, National Arts Centre, Seattle Theatre Group, Canadian Stage, DanceHouse, Danse Danse, Le Diamant, Electric Company Theatre
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Assembly Hall
Wednesday 12 May at 7:30 pm
Dance + Food Stands
TICKETS COMING SOON
With the support of:
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