Ensemble was formed in 2000 by Elizabeth Mansfield and Steve Trafford to create and tour new theatre work, exploring the relationship between music and text.

They began their collaboration working in the Red Ladder Theatre Company, which toured original music theatre pieces to non-theatrical venues. They went on to create MARIE -The Story of Marie Lloyd, which began at the Edinburgh Festival and then toured the UK, the USA and Norway. MARIE was also produced at the Fortune Theatre in London, where Elizabeth was nominated for an Olivier Award. They created HYMN TO LOVE - Homage to Piaf, with Annie Castledine, and in 2000 produced a national tour of THE MOTHER by Bertolt Brecht, in a new translation by Steve Trafford.

Since the formation of Ensemble, the company has produced five new pieces of theatre work (see Productions) with the following artists: Richard Aylwin, Tinoush Bahrami, Simon Banham, Nick Beadle, Russell Churney, Damian Cruden, Rachana Jadhav, Amina Khayyam, Chris Madin, Anna Mudeka, Naoko Nagai, Mark Payton, The Peabody Trio (Natasha Brofsky, Seth Knopp & Violaine Melançon), Rob Pickavance, Leon Rosselson, John Sackville, Tim Sutton and Gilly Tompkins.

• Ensemble is an Associate Company of the Farnham Maltings