Creating Digital Stories rooted in history

The Digital Ghost Hunt creates brand-new stories around the history and memories of the buildings the team are working in. The first production at Battersea Arts Centre used its history as the former Battersea Town Hall, while the show at York Theatre Royal was based on the ghost stories told about the theatre. At the Garden Museum, which is housed in a 16th century deconsecrated church, the show ended at the actual grave of the story’s ghost.

Spinners Mill has many stories to tell of the people who have worked there since it opened in 1912 (including mysterious supernatural events). For this production, the team were inspired by an accident from more than a hundred years ago, when the mill's great steam engine exploded.

Reflecting the region through co-creation

The production in Leigh also tells a story about co-creation. Local ambassadors were consulted on local history and have been involved with refining the ghost story. During performance week, one of the ambassadors shadowed Elliott’s work setting up the Augmented Reality (AR) elements of the show, and two of the ambassadors and a member of the Mill's board were recruited into the show’s cast. The team also cast the junior agent parts from the local area, to support early career practitioners and, more importantly, reflect the region it was set in.

The show’s audience was drawn almost exclusively from Leigh and the surrounding area.

Dr Carina Westling

Research

Research

The Digital Ghost Hunt

Research

The Digital Ghost Hunt