WELCOME TO THE MOWLEM THEATRE

Explore the unseen, backstage areas of The Mowlem Theatre that have been rejuvenated with magically immersive light, sound and video art installations.

Everything you see tonight has been created by young people across Dorset in The Mowlem Theatre’s first community engagement project.

THE TOUR:

1. COLOUR THEORY - First Floor Landing
Students from The Swanage School were learning about colour theory when they created this light installation. How many colours can you see in your shadow?

2. SOUNDS OF THE SEA - Show Bar
Listen to this soundscape, created by students from The Swanage School, where they experimented with layering atmospheric music with real-world sound effects.

3. THE BIG BANG - Fire Exit & Second Floor Landing (approx. 1min 30sec loop)
These experimental video and sound installations, inspired by The Big Bang, were created by students from The Swanage School and Bournemouth & Poole College.

4. JURASSIC COAST - Community Room (approx. 4 minute loop)
Inspired by the Jurassic Coast, this video and sound installation imagines how Swanage might have looked and sounded 200 million years ago. Students from The Swanage School and Bournemouth & Poole College learnt how to layer multiple images and videos to give the wall texture and depth.

5. OH, I DO LIKE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE - Downstairs Dressing Room (approx. 1 minute)
Swanage’s famous steam railway made the town a popular holiday destination in the late 1800s. Feel the rumble of the train in this sound and video installation that uses the dressing room’s mirrors as windows.

6. THIS IS SWANAGE - The Stage (approx 4 minutes)
In the tour’s finale, you’ll be able to tread the boards of The Mowlem Theatre’s stage. Students from Bournemouth & Poole College explored the musicality of light through the creation of this energetic installation. The soundtrack was especially created for Behind the Scenes by Anna Short. Why not try lying down on the floor and looking up at the lights?

Watch the creation of these installations in the video below:

Feedback

Thank you so much for visiting Behind the Scenes. We hope you saw The Mowlem in a new light!

We would love to hear your feedback. Please take a few moments to complete this short survey.

Credits

Producer & Lighting Designer - Ryan Joseph Stafford
Video Designer - Daniel Denton
Sound Designer - Anna Short

Videographer & Photographer - Alex Hermon
Marketing - Tia Bonfield
Evaluator - Maia Mackney

Mowlem Operations Manager - Thomas Curtis
Technicians - Dan Welsh & Spike

Supported by Arts Council England