The Lowland Clearances
A larp about housing, social cleansing and community in London. Supported by The Peabody Trust
16th - 31st January, 2016 | Camden People's Theatre
The Lowland Clearances invites participants to consider the parallels between the Victorian era and the present day, re-imagining the city through a playful and provocative game.
Based around the map of Camden circa 1850, the players are cast as the great and the good (along with the not-so-great and not-so-good) of mid-19th-century London, their mission being to to reshape the city for the good of its inhabitants or their own personal advantage – or both.
This larp (live action role-play) project was played as part of Camden People's Theatre's Whose London Is It Anyway festival.
"Looking back, I’m still slightly staggered that a group of strangers got together, pretended to build a sanitation plant and argued over the location of a new school. It got quite dark too, some people sent death threats. Oh, and that London housing crisis The Lowland Clearances is supposed to be about? Never mentioned once. It’s the best that theatre can be – presenting you with a story that allows you to draw your own parallels, not have them force fed to you. This is a genuinely surprising, very effective piece of work. Hobo Theatre are onto something here, and if they keep pushing then expect to see more from them in the future. The Lowland Clearances has to be one of the more interesting productions I’ve seen, but one that’s well worth seeking out. For a LARP virgin, I had a great time."
- A Younger Theatre
Cast & Creative Team
Game Design & Production: Jamie Harper and Duncan Hay
Actors: James Barbour, Jack Blackburn, Keir Carroll, Meg Lake, Harriet Layhe
Based around the map of Camden circa 1850, the players are cast as the great and the good (along with the not-so-great and not-so-good) of mid-19th-century London, their mission being to to reshape the city for the good of its inhabitants or their own personal advantage – or both.
This larp (live action role-play) project was played as part of Camden People's Theatre's Whose London Is It Anyway festival.
"Looking back, I’m still slightly staggered that a group of strangers got together, pretended to build a sanitation plant and argued over the location of a new school. It got quite dark too, some people sent death threats. Oh, and that London housing crisis The Lowland Clearances is supposed to be about? Never mentioned once. It’s the best that theatre can be – presenting you with a story that allows you to draw your own parallels, not have them force fed to you. This is a genuinely surprising, very effective piece of work. Hobo Theatre are onto something here, and if they keep pushing then expect to see more from them in the future. The Lowland Clearances has to be one of the more interesting productions I’ve seen, but one that’s well worth seeking out. For a LARP virgin, I had a great time."
- A Younger Theatre
Cast & Creative Team
Game Design & Production: Jamie Harper and Duncan Hay
Actors: James Barbour, Jack Blackburn, Keir Carroll, Meg Lake, Harriet Layhe
