Site-specific production to be staged in Brunel-designed Thames tunnel

A new site-specific production is being staged in a tunnel shaft under the Thames this Summer.

Nick Harrison's The Eighth Wonder of the World will take place in the Rotherhithe tunnel-shaft, originally constructed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his father to access the first ever underwater tunnel.

According to press material:

On 10 November 1827 the Brunels, locked in a power struggle, are preparing to host a party for 170 guests in the tunnel-shaft as a public relations event following several recent disasters, including a major flood which halted the construction.

On eve of the most important date in the precarious life of the tunnel, father and son must put aside underlying family tensions as they try to restore their reputation.

Running from 8 to 14 June 2015, the production will be directed by Martin Parr, who previously collaborated with Harrison on the site-specific The Devil to Pay on Brook Street at Handel House in Mayfair.

The Rotherhithe tunnel-shaft was first opened in 1843. It was reopened in 2013 and is managed by the adjacent Brunel museum.