Titanic to be sunk during a show at Carlisle Castle

From News & Star

The heart of Carlisle is to be transformed into an outdoor theatre for a spectacular re-enactment of the sinking of the Titanic.

Carlisle Castle will provide a dramatic backdrop for Theatre Titanick’s dazzling 70-minute performance that will set sparks flying, fireworks shooting into the sky and water cascading across the stage.

A huge open-air set with seats will be constructed in the grounds of the English Heritage site and the stage will be dominated by the bow of the great ocean liner.

Set to an orchestra, the drama will begin with engineers constructing the Titanic and end with its legendary sinking. This remarkable production has proved a major hit around the world, including New York, Berlin and Sydney.

The story of the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in April 1912, has a particular resonance in Cumbria. Thomas Henry Ismay, who founded the White Star Line – the company that built the doomed liner – was brought up in Maryport and started his seafaring career there.

The event is one of Lakes Alive’s outdoor arts events taking place across Cumbria during the summer. It is Cumbria’s contribution to the Legacy Trust UK programme which was set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Julie Tait, the director of Kendal Arts International, which creates and directs Lakes Alive along with Manchester International Arts, said: “The atmospheric Carlisle Castle will offer a stunning setting for this epic performance that has amazed audiences across the globe.

“It is a mammoth show with pyrotechnics, fire, water and music by one of Europe’s leading outdoor performance companies. The scale, sheer drama and quality of the production has to be seen to be believed.”

The play begins with a symphony of clanging and screeching as engineers rush around to complete the Titanic on time.