Play · Being Human Festival
Finding Mr Hart
Senate House, London & The Exchange, Blackburn · 17 & 24 November 2017
A site-specific play based on the research of Dr Cynthia Johnston into R. E. Hart (1878–1946), the Edwardian collector who assembled one of the finest collections of rare books and coins in the country. Hart built his fortune in Blackburn's rope-making trade, and on his death bequeathed his collections "to the people of the town." Drawing on oral histories, letters, company records and family photographs, the play brought his life and his gift to the stage.
Created for the Being Human Festival, it was staged at Senate House in London and in the disused Victorian Cotton Exchange in Blackburn — a building then undergoing restoration. Both performances sold out.
- Director
- Will Maynard
- Designer
- Anna Lewis
- Lighting
- Ryan Stafford
- Cast
- Timothy Allsop, Augustina Seymour, Louise Templeton, Becky Wright
With support from the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, HSL Group, the Institute of English Studies (University of London), Re:Source, and Rummage Rescuers.
Read more about the production in this case study from the School of Advanced Study.
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