Creation Theatre's Brave New World Seeks To Overcome Accessibility Barriers

Creation welcomes back the artistic team behind Nineteen Eighty-Four for a brand new adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World which takes enormous strides in overcoming barriers to accessibility, all without having received any funding.

The challenge for contemporary theatre is to remain relevant and to reach new audiences, and this groundbreaking production does both. By staging the production in Westgate, Oxford’s new shopping centre, on the doorstep of Primark and John Lewis and at a time when shoppers are still using the centre, Creation have reached new heights in accessibility and outreach. Public that would never normally set foot inside a traditional theatre are witnessing how easy the show is to access and engage with, and are being encouraged by Front of House teams to ‘sample’ the show by donning headphones to experience a short snippet of the live performance as they shop in the centre. A six-metre-wide LED screen promotes the show to Westgate shoppers during the day, and Front of House staff can be approached by members of the public at any time during setup, show running, or packdown to answer questions and provide information. This type of exposure is critically important in order to reach and engage new audiences, and can be very hard for traditional theatres to achieve.

Adapted and directed by Radio 4 writer Jonathan Holloway, this site-specific production takes full advantage of the Westgate’s architecture, walkways and different levels. The audience experience the production through wireless headphones which are brought to them at their seats, and sit on modern office chairs that allow them to swivel as the action takes place all around them. As actors interact with filmed footage on a six metre wide LED screen, the audience will be drawn into a world of fear and schemes, with Leiden Square providing the perfect backdrop for this dystopian vision of a future intensely remodeled by consumerism.

Brave New World runs until 11 August 2018 and is directed and written by Jonathan Holloway, designed by Ryan Dawson Laight, sound design by Matt Eaton, video design by Lucy Askew and Stuart Read.

The cast of Brave New World includes Sophie Greenham, Adam Karrie, Clare Humphrey, Eric MacLennan, Joseph Richardson, Giles Stoakley and Gabby Wong.

BOOK NOW FOR CREATION THEATRE'S BRAVE NEW WORLD