The Triumph of Reason

Set during the time of the French Revolution, the American Declaration of Independence, and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, The Triumph Of Reason!  was a thrilling piece of visual theatre in a beautiful setting which brought to life the story of one of Nottinghamshire’s greatest, but least well known historical figures. “Join us as we travel back to an age when thought and knowledge caused uproar…”

An outdoor, night time spectacle, staged in the grounds of Elston Hall, near Newark, birthplace of Erasmus Darwin. the show examined the life and times of Charles Darwin’s grandfather. A genius in his own right, Erasmus was an influential figure of the Enlightenment and at the very centre of one of the most dynamic periods of history.

This show, which was funded by Arts Council England, Nottinghamshire County Council, and Newark and Sherwood District Council, brought to a conclusion a series of five new community plays in the region which saw over one hundred and fifty people perform to total audiences of over a thousand. And it was be a truly spectacular finale combining pyrotechnics, film, and a cast that featured some of the greatest men of the day – James Watt; Joseph Priestley; Immanuel Kant; Isaac Newton; Josiah Wedgwood and many others.