DARK  SKIES  ENSEMBLE

Dark Skies Ensemble is a feminist theatre company founded and led by director Ellie Jay Stevens. The company develops visually striking productions that combine new writing with bold design and imaginative staging.

The company began in Dumfries and Galloway with a series of early research and development projects exploring women’s stories and rural perspectives. One of the first projects, A Stitch in Time, used verbatim interviews with women from Castle Douglas to challenge common stereotypes surrounding rural Scottish life.

Since then, Dark Skies Ensemble has continued to develop new work in collaboration with writers, performers and designers across the UK and internationally. The company is particularly committed to supporting early-career artists and creating collaborative environments where new ideas and ambitious theatrical forms can be explored.

The company’s first public production, The Strongest Girl in the World by Truly Siskind-Weiss, premiered in London before transferring to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The production received an Entertainment Now WOW Award and an OFFIE OffFest nomination.

More recently, Dark Skies Ensemble produced the award-winning play How You Died by Edith Keays, which won Best Play at Camden Fringe 2024.

Through bold visual storytelling and collaborative development, Dark Skies Ensemble continues to create theatre that centres female perspectives and invites audiences to engage, reflect and think differently.