“The remaining emptiness of the museum hall when you take your glasses off is remarkable. We have been looking at ghosts.” Volkskrant
“It is impossible to look away from the shimmering figures that emerge in what appears at first to be an empty room. And that is the point.” The Guardian
Photo©EllieKurttz; Digital Composition: Will Young
“Hi-tech meets humanity in this devastatingly powerful look at the impact of Austerity.” The Stage
In 2016, the UN found that "grave or systemic violations" of the rights of disabled people were taking place throughout the UK. Museum of Austerity is a mixed reality holographic exhibition, exposing what happens when state safety nets fail.
Museum of Austerity was nominated for Best Digital Innovation at the UK Theatre Awards, previewed at the London Film Festival in 2021 and won International Documentary Festival Amsterdam's (IDFA) Best Immersive Production in 2021.
TOUR DATES
BFI London Film Festival 6 - 17 October 2021
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam 17 - 28 November 2021
HOME Manchester 8 - 11 November 2023
Live Theatre, Newcastle 17 - 21 April 2024
Bristol Old Vic 12 - 15 June 2024
Chatham Dockyards, Kent 26 - 29 June 2024
Kampnagel Theatre, Hamburg 26 - 28 September 2024
More to follow …
INTERVIEWEES
Dave Smith, brother of James Oliver
Mo Ahmed, brother of Sophie (Faiza) Ahmed
Peter Carré, father of Stephen Carré
Jill Gant, mother of Mark Wood
Imogen Day, sister of Philippa Day
Helen Marston Hullah, sister of Diane Hullah
Nichole Drury, daughter of Moira Drury
Alison Turner, daughter-in-law of Errol Graham
Gill Thompson, sister of David Clapson
CAST
Shango Baku
Jenny Bolt
Gerard McDermott
Katie Mastell
S.J. O'Kane
Lindy Pieri
Elliot Pritchard
Naima Swaleh
CREATIVE TEAM
Director & Co-Editor Sacha Wares
Specialist Advisor & Co-Editor John Pring
Creative Technology All Seeing Eye
Composer Adrian Lee
Costume & Set Designer Miriam Buether
Sound Designer Gareth Fry
Original Lighting Designer Prema Mehta
Movement Director Leon Baugh
Assistant Director Hana Pascal Keegan
Casting Director Amy Ball
Costume Supervisors Shannon Martin, Kinnetia Isidore
Stage Manager Shannon Martin, Shane Thom
Dog Handler Robert Stuhldreer
PRODUCERS
Trial & Error
Executive Producer, Sacha Wares
ETT
Executive Producer, Sophie Scull
Producers, Lauren Hamilton, Maya Wilson, Andrew Hughes, Meg Fozzard
NT Immersive Storytelling Studio
Executive Producer, Toby Coffey
Junior Producer, Benjamin Smith
WELLBEING AND ACCESS
Family Liaison Megan Cronin
Artist Wellbeing Lou Platt
BSL Introduction Deepa Shastri
Captions Vicky Berry and Jenny Skene
Audio Description VocalEyes
Access Consultancy Rachel Bagshaw, David Bellwood, Daisy Hale, Richard Tilling, Rai Waddingham, Dr. Jay Watts
Additional content credits:
