The play has been developed through workshops and devising sessions with Syrian and Ukrainian refugees, young people in Birmingham and Worcester, and local residents. Their stories, languages and cultural traditions are woven into the script and the sound world of the production. Many participants will join the final cast as performers and co‑creators.

Dudley Canal & Caverns is not simply a venue — it is the engine of the whole production. Its echoing chambers, narrow passages and hidden pools create a sense of disorientation, strangeness, and discovery. The site allows us to build an immersive journey in which audiences will journey - by boat and on foot - through a series of environments: a city in ruins, a chamber of whispered memories, a river of light. Live performers, community participants and multimedia installations will guide them through a story that moves between ancient myth and contemporary testimony.

The project is led by an award-winning team of writers, artists and designers. The multimedia design draws on a range of artistic traditions, reflecting the global origins of the stories at the project’s heart.

The Fountain of Light builds on our previous large‑scale immersive production, Descent, which transformed a former factory into a dreamlike world of memory and myth. Together, these productions demonstrate our vision: to create ambitious, site‑responsive theatre that resonates deeply with audiences.

On this page you will find images and film of some of the work-in-progress.