Written & Performed by Margo MacDonald
Directed by Mary Ellis
Costume Design by Vanessa Imeson
Stage Managed by Laurie Shannon
Lighting Design by Laura Wheeler
Synopsis
“Without doubt, they were the most notorious girl gang Britain’s ever seen.”
—Brian McDonald, The Gangs of London
Clever, organized, devious & daring; they stole from the rich and gave to themselves. A fascinating piece of lost women’s history, only recently brought to light, this is the gripping tale of the all-female gang which terrorized London for over 100 years.
“Right here, right now, for one night only, I’ll tell you something special I ain’t never told no one before; I’ll tell you the truth.”
—Maggie Hale, The Elephant Girls
The truth. As told by Maggie Hale—the gang’s suit-wearing, bloody-knuckled, girl-chasing “enforcer.” She’ll tell you all: who they were, what they did, how it worked, how they got away with it, and how it all came crashing down. But just how much are you sure you want to hear?
A story both captivating and repelling, humorous and terrifying. You won’t be able to look away.
75 minutes | Mature
Trailer
Awards
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Winner Best of Fest, Outstanding Production, Critics’ Pick for Best Show (Ottawa Fringe Festival 2015), Outstanding New Work, Direction, and Performance (Les Prix Rideau Awards), Critic’s Choice Award (Hamilton Fringe 2017), & Best Actress (Capital Critics Circle). |
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100% Sold Out – Winnipeg Fringe Festival 2016
100% Sold Out – Ottawa Fringe Festival 2015
Reviews
| ★★★★★ – Planet Nation (UK) |
★★★★★ – The Outmost (Dublin) |
★★★★ – LondonTheatre1 (UK) |
| ★★★★★ – Winnipeg Free Press |
★★★★★ – CBC Manitoba |
★★★★★ – Capital Critics Circle |
| ★★★★ “As soon as the lights came up, Margo MacDonald had me captivated and right in the palm of her hand…astonishing…” – Miss Ashleigh More, Broadway Baby |
★★★★ “The play is brilliantly written and exceptionally performed…you will be left wanting to know more. Highly recommended.” – Fringe Guru |
“A show that packs a punch with a diamond-clad fist! Masterfully written and performed.”
– The Outmost, Dublin
“Utterly entrancing”
– Pat St. Germain, Winnipeg Free Press
“A gripping, psychological insight into gang life… a deeply psychological struggle between truth and fiction…Complex, subtle, and often deeply uncomfortable, this battle is fascinating to watch.”
– Jordan Shaw, The List
“Stampede – do not walk – to get tix. …MacDonald delivers a ferocious, charismatically
– Joff Schmidt, CBC Manitoba
“Gritty, powerful, and excellently crafted.”
– Kat Fournier, Capital Critics Circle
“MacDonald is a force to be reckoned with…Truly a performance that made me forget where I was. For that hour, I was in a pub in London, while a terrifying and fascinating woman told me an unforgettable life story.”
—Valerie Cardinal, OnStage Ottawa
“Superb… a riveting hour.”
–John Sekerka, The Revue
“This outstanding solo piece wraps issues of power, class and gender in the story of Maggie Hale…Meticulously researched, lovingly scripted, and directed in economical fashion by Mary Ellis… Outstanding.”
–Patrick Langston, Ottawa Citizen
“With her sustained working class London accent, her defiant physical stance, her gaze that could destroy innocence…[MacDonald] produces a captivating and moving performance.”
—Alvina Ruprecht, Capital Critics Circle
Reviews
Fringe Show Reviews: The Elephant Girls
Pat St. Germain, Winnipeg Free Press, 07/08/2016
The Elephant Girls
Joff Schmidt, CBC News, 07/15/2016
Company Bios
Margo MacDonald (Playwright & Performer)
Margo is a multi-award winning actor, director, and theatre creator. In 2010, she wrote and performed in the smash hit, Shadows, (about theatre diva Eva Le Gallienne) which won the Ottawa Fringe Outstanding Overall, Best of Fest, and Fan Favourite awards that year. It went on to sell out at the undercurrents: theatre below the mainstream festival at the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC), and has since played to rave reviews at Videofag in Toronto, and the Tea House Theatre in London, England. She is the co-creator (with Richard Gelinas) of Much Ado About Feckin’ Pirates! which played at the Toronto Festival of Clowns in 2015. Other recent performance credits include: Pomme & ‘Restes: Shipwrecked!, A Midwinter’s Dream Tale, and Henry V (A Company of Fools); The Norman Conquests (Plosive Productions); Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) and Fly Me to the Moon (Great Canadian Theatre Company); and The Penelopiad (Citadel Theatre).
Margo is a three-time winner of the Rideau Award for Outstanding Performance (Iron, SevenThirty Productions; Fly Me to the Moon, GCTC; The Elephant Girls, Parry Riposte Productions), and was awarded Best Professional Actress by the Capital Critics Circle in 2015.
Mary Ellis (Director)
Mary is an Ottawa-based artist who has worked extensively as an actor, director and teacher for many years. Her directing credits include George F. Walker’s The End of Civilization (Same Day Theatre), Ian Tamblyn’s Bridge to the Past (Theatre Wakefield), and Blackbird (Third Wall Theatre), as well as Dario Fo’s They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! and Walker’s Tough! (Algonquin College). Her many acting credits include numerous roles at the Great Canadian Theatre Company (Fly Me to the Moon, Circle Mirror Transformation, Life X 3, Problem Child, Better Living), the NAC (The Ark), Third Wall Theatre (God of Carnage, The Dumb Waiter), New Theatre of Ottawa, and the Gladstone Theatre (Doubt), among others. Also a respected teacher, Mary has inspired countless students over the years. She has garnered several awards and nominations for her work as both an actor and a director, including the 2015 Outstanding Director Prix Rideau Award for The Elephant Girls, and the Capital Critics Circle Award for Best Production for Blackbird.
Vanessa Imeson (Costume Designer)
Vanessa is a theatre artist holding a combined BA Honours degree in Dramatic Art and English from the University of Windsor, MFA in Theatre Design from the University of British Columbia and diploma for Makeup Design for Film and Television from Vancouver Film School. Based in Ottawa, Vanessa designs costumes, make-up, wigs and puppets for theatres across Canada while simultaneously acting as Head of Wardrobe for the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC). She enjoys collecting odd buttons and other people’s family photographs. You can view her work at vanessaimeson.com
Gallery
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