Theatre in Museums

What is Theatre in Museums?

Wardown House Museum and Gallery has undergone a magnificent transformation since its closure in March 2016, as part of a £3.5 million redevelopment. Theatre in museums is a programme of work created as part of the re-launch that brings the house alive, encouraging audiences of all ages to interact with the space and its history in new ways. Pieces created range from 30 minute pieces aimed at children to 60-75 minute pieces for young adults and above. The Museum has been lucky enough to commission and work with the incredibly talented writer, Teresa Burms, to create or adapt all but one of the plays into several unique promenade pieces that showcases the very best of the house.

Previous Theatre in the Museum Productions

	The Curator (May 2017) It’s not a normal day for our intrepid rule following curator. Join them for the museum tour of a lifetime where everything changes and new mysteries reveal themselves. Can you help solve the puzzle? Let’s find out together!
	The Time Traveller (August 2017 & October 2017) Just a regular, every day, completely normal tour of the museum…or is it? A whizz through time with a secret/magical trunk, an imaginative guide and a little of your help. Learn and bring history to life. Remember, you just have to imagine!
	The Ghostly Gardener (October 2017) Vernon, Wardown Park's trusty gardener, guides the audience on a spooky promenade performance around the grounds of Wardown.
	A Christmas Carol (December since 2018) Hear Dickens bring this popular tale of Ebenezer Scrooge to life in an intimate performance through the rooms at Wardown House. A seasonal classic that will make your heart soar as Scrooge discovers the true meaning of Christmas.
	The Secret Diary (March 2018 & July 2018) Max MacDonald is a cautious and bookish curator. One day, a discovery of a lost diary of Wardown House's first curator, Thomas Bagshawe leads them on an unforgettable and magical adventure!
	The Lost Letter (August 2018 & October 2018) Curator Max leads tours around the museum. Max loves sticking to the rules but when he discovers a lost letter, Max leads his guests of a hunt to find hidden clues and discover the mystery of the letter and the house!
	Healing Wounds (October 2018) Written by David Graves and directed by Kennedy Bloomer Set in 1916, Healing Wounds explores the friction, fury and at times fun between three army officers, thrown together in a hospital ward to recover from war.
	Horrid House Tours (Every school holiday since April 2019) A fun, interactive tour of Wardown House just for kids – strictly no parents allowed! Explore the nasty, grizzly and truly disgusting history of Wardown House! Tales of vicious villans, ghastly ghosts, wounded, bloody-soldiers and much more.
	Keep the Home Fires Burning (October 2019) A specially commissioned new play to commemorate the historic burning down of the town hall – the Peace Day Riots - in its centenary year. Full of fight, fury, joy and pathos it brings to life the unforgotten voices that rang out as the town hall burnt down.

The Culture Trust Luton is an arts and cultural charity for the people of Luton and beyond. We showcase high quality arts and cultural activity across our three inspiring heritage sites; Stockwood Discovery Centre, Wardown House, Museum and Gallery and The Hat Factory Arts Centre. We also deliver community-focused work and arts in the public realm engagement projects.

If you are interested in future castings please send your CV and headshots to jacqui.harding@culturetrust.com