THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD to Make World Premiere in Thames Tunnel-Shaft This June

The Rotherhithe tunnel-shaft, constructed by Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel to access the first ever underwater tunnel which ran below the Thames, will host the world première of The Eighth Wonder of the World, a new play by Nick Harrison.

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.

Directed by Martin Parr, this one-act play runs from 8 to 14 June with a press night on 8 June.

Nick Harrison's most recent collaboration with Martin Parr was on The Devil to Pay on Brook Street, another site-specific piece, based on a Daniel Defoe short story and performed at Handel House in Mayfair. His other playwriting credits include one-woman play Regarding X which has been performed at the Old Red Lion, the Vauxhall Fringe and the Hackney Attic.

Martin Parr directs. His directing credits include Hamlet (Rose Theatre Kingston), 84 Charing Cross Road (Salisbury Playhouse), The Devil to Pay on Brook Street (Handel House, Mayfair), Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang (Rose Theatre Kingston), The Three Georges (Gottingen Festival in Germany), A Door Must be Kept Open or Shut (Osborne Studio, London), A Night in CDU (Landor Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (St George's, Bloomsbury), Doctor Faustus (Rose Theatre Kingston), Too Clever by Half (Derby Live) and he has also directed several plays for Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His opera work includes Acis and Galatea (Canons, London), Teixeira's Te Deum and Handel's Messiah for Casa Da Musica in Porto, L'Ippolito (The Sable and Ambronnay Festivals in France) and Comus (London Handel Festival). He is an Associate with Frontier Theatre and an Associate with Actors from the London Stage who tour Shakespeare plays to the USA twice a year.

DETAILS:

The Eighth Wonder of the World

The Brunel Tunnel Shaft

The Brunel Museum

Railway Avenue

SE16 4LF

Nearest tube: Bermondsey

Nearest station: Rotherhithe

8 - 14 June

7.30pm plus 3pm matinees on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday

Tickets: £20; www.wegottickets.com/eighthwonderoftheworld

Tickets bought on the door are cash only