Birthday Blaze:
Newcastle Theatre Royal’s 175th anniversary

As the clock struck 6pm, the façade of Newcastle’s Theatre Royal burst into life with music, lights and dramatic pyrotechnics, like a dazzling cuckoo clock. A procession of ghostly characters, led by the harlequin escaped from the theatre’s fire curtain, danced out of the building and down Grey Street to take up residence in their own fiery domain.

Macbeth’s witches brewed up trouble from their flaming cauldron, Romeo (an acrobat) and Juliet (a trombonist) flirted over a balcony, Cinderella brewed tea for the Ugly Sisters to share with the audience, Faust danced with the devil at the gates of hell. Each hour the theatre’s building would signal its joyful celebrations with a repeat of the cuckoo clock moment.

Pinwheel was commissioned to create an event which would allow this anniversary to be celebrated by many more people than could fit inside the theatre’s auditorium. We collaborated with The World Famous to create a joyful, riotous, take-over of Grey Street, filling it with fire, performance, comedy, music and pyrotechnics and many nods to the theatre’s rich history. We also – in accordance with the brief – provided cake. 7,000 pieces per night, handed out by costumed usherettes from over-sized cake stands.

Birthday Blaze was commissioned by Theatre Royal Newcastle, created by The World Famous and produced by Pinwheel. It was supported by Arts Council England, Newcastle City Council and NE1.