Michaela O’Connor brings Sand to the Edinburgh Fringe 2026 as co-creator and co-director with Kook Ensemble. This visually striking production blends circus and physical theatre to explore deeply human themes.
Set against the North Devon coastline, Sand tells a moving story of love, memory and dementia through a non-verbal narrative. The show uses acrobatics and movement to create an emotional and immersive theatrical experience.
Sand runs at Summerhall (Main Hall) from 6 – 17 August 2026 (not 12). Tickets are available here.
You’re the co-creator and co-director of Sand at Summerhall. What can you tell us about the show?
Sand is a circus-theatre piece about love, memory and the things that stay with us even when everything else begins to shift.
Sean Kempton and I co-directed it, blending theatrical storytelling with the physical language of circus.
It’s funny, playful and has moments that might catch you off guard emotionally, too.
Ultimately, we wanted to make something that celebrates life and reminds us of what’s truly important.
Sand explores dementia through non-verbal circus and physical theatre. What drew you to telling this story without words?
Physical theatre and circus have always been our language, and we see them as the best way of telling accessible, visual stories.
We never set out to make Sand non-verbal. It’s simply how we create, because we believe our bodies can communicate with a clarity and honesty that words don’t always achieve.
Because of that, audiences are invited to connect with the journey through their own experiences, whether they’re eight or eighty.
The piece blends acrobatics, dance and object manipulation to portray memory and loss. How did you develop this visual language?
It was really developed through trial and error.
Our creative process is always very hands-on, so we spent a lot of time in the rehearsal room playing, asking questions and seeing what happened.
We became fascinated by how sand can say so much. It slips through your fingers, it marks time, it shifts and disappears.
We then challenged ourselves to see how those ideas could work with circus equipment.
From that, the metaphor of memories slipping away began to emerge, alongside the realisation of just how precious those fragments are.
It makes every catch, balance and handful of sand feel like something worth holding on to.
The show was developed in collaboration with people living with dementia in North Devon. How did that process shape the final work?
With Kook Ensemble, research is everything, and in this case, we knew we had to truly understand the world we were exploring.
Working with people living with dementia through the Devon Memory Café Consortium shaped the piece from the ground up.
We heard stories full of humour, resilience, frustration, tenderness and unexpected joy, which constantly challenged any assumptions we might have had.
It reminded us to make something truthful but never bleak, because the people we met certainly weren’t defined by sadness.
They gave us permission to hold laughter and loss side by side, and that balance sits right at the heart of Sand.
Kook Ensemble is known for combining emotional storytelling with circus skills. How does Sand build on your previous work and company style?
Sand feels like the culmination of twenty years of exploring how physical theatre and circus can carry a powerful narrative.
Sean and I love creating work that can quietly sneak up on your heart afterwards, and this show pushes us further than ever before.
We have a cast of incredible performers whose skill and generosity allow every moment to feel both spectacular and deeply human.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Sand?
Sand is really a show about relationships, resilience and the wonderfully messy business of being human.
You’ll laugh, you’ll probably have a lump in your throat at some point, and you’ll see some genuinely breathtaking circus along the way.
If we do our job well, you’ll walk out feeling a little lighter, a little more connected, and with a renewed appreciation for the precious moments we share with the people we love.
