Interview: Emily Brook, ‘Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants’

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Emily Brook about the piece, Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants.

Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far..

I am a director and theatre maker originally from Kent. After University, I started working as a Director in Residence/Drama Assistant at a school in Dulwich whilst working as a freelance theatre maker.

What is your show about?

Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants tells the story off the first female crime syndicate in London during their rise to infamy under the leadership of a woman called Alice Diamond. The play explores how she moved up in a male dominated society during the early 1900s into a position of power. The gang were known for their skills in hoisting or shoplifting and they used various techniques to do this such as dressing up as women in the upper classes so security guards rarely stopped them.

What was the inspiration for the show and what’s the development process been to get to this stage?

When I was at Uni, we were set the task of creating a biographical piece of work. After doing research, I came across a person called Alice Diamond who was really interesting. The monologue sat in my documents for years until I came across it and thought Alice Diamond deserved more of an opportunity to have her story told.

What made you want to take this to the Fringe?

Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants is a large ensemble piece of theatre that throws audiences into 1920s London and this is something that I believe excites Edinburgh audiences. The play will excite all types of audiences as well as those who are fans of Peaky Blinders!

Apart from seeing your show, what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?

Give yourself some time to be spontaneous. Wonder around Edinburgh and see what shows appear before you. You never know, you may find your favourite show without planning to.

Why should people book to see your show?

If you are a fan of the peaky blinders world but want to see it with women at the centre, Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants will do that for you. But if you are not a fan of Peaky Blinders, or if you have never watched it, you should still book to see the show.

When and where can people see the show?

1pm at the King Dome, Pleasance Dome, 1st to 11th August