You've seen the tweets, the stories, the posts and the poster...but maybe you're still wondering what is Fort Lagoon and how can you escape from it? Read on to find out...
For the love of Water:
Jude Jagger (Creative Producer) has a love of swimming and Adam McGuigan (Writer/Director) had his 'mind-blown' whilst watching 'Sea Sick' at the Edinburgh Festival, by the award winning science journalist, Alanna Mitchell.
Together, Jude and Adam started to discuss their passion for water and what it would be like if we all lost our connection to it. They imagined a futuristic world where most of the water sources are polluted and water itself has become an extremely precious resource that's guarded by the few...in order to remain hydrated, people have to use technology "Hydration Tablets", which provides them with just enough hydration to stay alive!
From this discussion, an ambitious idea was born and off Jude and Adam went to Withington Baths in Manchester, to research and develop (R&D) an interactive theatre game set in water! Can it work? R&D said YES - IT - CAN! But then...the pandemic happened! So...maybe not anytime soon! Unless...
Jude said:
‘I started wild swimming like most people during lockdown when the pools were
closed and instantly fell in love with the freedom of swimming outdoors. Swimming outdoors made me think that it was still possible to make an outdoor version of the show!'
With this in mind Jude and Adam went on a journey across the UK and found two spectacular locations! The River Lark in Mildenhall and Barrow Park in Barrow-in-Furness.
'Escape from Fort Lagoon':
'Escape from Fort Lagoon' is an interactive, theatrical, escape room style game using app technology, where you take part in a game of cat and mouse along the banks of the River Lark or in Barrow Park. Through a series of dramatic encounters, you'll meet memorable characters, solve cryptic clues and feel like you are in a real-life adventure.
In a team of up to eight people, the object of the game is to solve the clues and get to the end location within 2 hours! The end location being the River Lark or the pool at Barrow Park Leisure Centre. If you don't fancy a dip, no problem, as that part is optional.
'Escape from Fort Lagoon' is affordable theatre at £12.00 a ticket and suitable for anyone over the age of 12, which makes it the perfect game to play with both family and friends. It also takes place over a Bank Holiday Weekend in May and on the weekend of Father's Day in June (see dates below).
Making Headlines:
You may have seen the headlines recently about swimming pool closures and water firms pumping sewage into UK rivers and seashores - really throwing a spotlight onto just how precious water is! We decided to team up with the charity Surfers Against Sewage - 'a campaigning charity made up of water lovers who protect the ocean and all it makes possible'. 50% of the booking fee from all ticket sales of 'Escape from Fort Lagoon' will be going to Surfers Against Sewage.
The dates:
'Escape from Fort Lagoon' will be coming to Mildenhall on Saturday 27th + Sunday 28th May (Bank Holiday Weekend) and to Barrow Park on Saturday 17th + Sunday 18th June (Father's Day) 2023.
'Escape from Fort Lagoon' is Arts Council England funded and co-commissioned by Marketplace and Barrowfull Creative People and Places programmes, with support from Frank and Cindy Franklin.