The Crash of the Elysium (stage play)

The Crash of the Elysium was a Doctor Who immersive experience produced by Punchdrunk, BBC Wales, and Manchester International Festival, with Tom MacRae as writer and Felix Barrett as creative director, with the concept of the story being upon an idea by showrunner Steven Moffat. The immersive experience opened at MediaCityUK at the Salford Quays, with previews beginning on 30 June   and officially opening on 1 July  until 17 July 2011. It was commissioned by the Manchester International Festival, the BBC and the, was funded by the National Lottery, and made in association with BBC Wales and BBC North West.

The immersive experience was aimed exclusively at children aged six to twelve  — in groups of twenty five starting every ten minutes with one of six different casts — with certain times being reserved for children aged six to eight if accompanied by an adult  and as announced on 28 June 2011, a limited amount of times were reserved for anyone over the age of thirteen to attend, due to popular demand, from 8 July to 15 July. It had a runtime of around an hour.

First announced in Doctor Who Magazine on 28 July 2011, The Crash of the Elysium was to reopen on 2012, although DWMSE 31 claimed the first announcement happened on 23 December 2011. In 2012, the experience was located at the Crown Car Park in Ipswich, sponsored by the ; it was performed from 15 June to 8 July, as part of the Ipswich Arts Festival 2012 (IpArt). With this iteration of the event, it was catered to schoolchilren on school trips, aged eight to twelve, although performances were still reserved for families and people over the age of thirteen, with some promotional material jokingly stating that the event was for people aged seven to seven hundred.

Publisher's summary
A live Doctor Who adventure in which the audience is the star of the show. The production is unlike anything audiences will have ever experienced. This is their story, their mission, the audience are the hero. No two shows are ever the same, no individual adventure is ever repeated. There is no stage, there is no comfy seating, there is no division between the world of the audience and the world of the show.

Plot
In Manchester 2011 or Ipswich 2012, group of children enter an exhibit about an ocean liner, the Elysium, where a curator, Willard, tells them about the history of the ship, including about how it sunk, many decades before. Suddenly, the army bursts into the exhibit, escorting Willard into another room and conversing with him, before ushering the group out as a matter of "national security". After exiting the exhibit from a different entrance, the group is then instructed to put on decontamination suits and then are briefed by Captain T Solomon and Corporal Anna Albright. The group is escorted to a scientific station by the site of the crashed Elysium, before entering the hull of the ship. Inside, they meet defense robots, and soon are cornered by Weeping Angels in a locked hallway, with Corporal Albright being attacked first before the group of children are sent back in time to a fairground in 1888, where they meet a girl, Dolly, who had previously travelled with the Doctor. The group of children are then sent to send the TARDIS back to the Doctor, still being pursued by Angels. Returning to the Elysium, the children restart the ship with artron energy, being able to escape the Angels who have all now being sucked into the walls. Before they leave, each child receives a letter from the Doctor himself.

Cast

 * Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith
 * River Song - Alex Kingston (deleted scenes)
 * Willard - unknown
 * Captain T Solomon - Daniel Millar, Joshua Hemmings
 * Corporal Anna Albright - Katheryn McGarr
 * Dolly - unknown
 * Soldiers - Tom Godwin,  Matt Odell,  Danny Millard, Katheryn McGarr
 * TBA - Edward Halstead
 * TBA - Matthew Blake
 * TBA - Chris Hannon
 * TBA - Fran Moulds
 * TBA - Ted Holden
 * TBA - Mercy Ojelade
 * TBA - Joe Ransome
 * TBA - Leigh Symonds
 * TBA - Rob Wilson
 * TBA - Sarah Sweeney
 * TBA - Charlotte Almond (uncredited)
 * TBA - Wesley Pearce (uncredited)

Crew

 * Felix Barrett - Creative Director,  Writer, Director
 * Tom MacRae - Writer,   Creator
 * Steven Moffat - Story idea
 * Livi Vaughan - Designer
 * Paul Normandale - Lighting Designer
 * Stephen Dobbie - Sound Designer, Graphic Designer
 * Keith Dunne - Consultant Art Director
 * Stephen Nicholas - Consultant Art Director
 * Katy Balfour - Assistant Director, Remount Director
 * George Ellison - Assistant Designer
 * Sarah Lewis - Graphic Designer, Prop Maker/Set Dresser
 * Maxine Doyle - Movement Consultant
 * Raquel Meseguer - Rehearsal Support
 * Jacqui Leigh - Production Manager
 * Jezz Hellens - Technical Manager
 * Jason Benterman - Company Stage Manager
 * Elaine Taylor - Wardrobe Supervisor
 * Blair Mielnik - Technical Drawings
 * Damian Breeze - Technical Stage Manager
 * Barra Collins - Technical Stage Manager
 * Daniel Pearson - Technical Stage Manager
 * Peter Scandrett - Technical Stage Manager
 * Beckie Tolland - Technical Stage Manager
 * Matt Wilson - Technical Stage Manager
 * Graeme Skingle - ASM/Props
 * Libby Altaras - Prop Maker/Set Dresser
 * Jessica Banting - Prop Maker/Set Dresser
 * Christopher Booth - Prop Maker/Set Dresser
 * Hayley Clack - Prop Maker/Set Dresser
 * Bryony Rumble - Prop Maker/Set Dresser
 * Leonora Hatton - Prop Maker/Set Dresser
 * James Boult - Prop Maker/Carpenter
 * Jack Sowerby - Production Student
 * Leo Decann - Production Student
 * Charlotte Briggs - Production Student
 * Yvette Sedgley - Production Student
 * Jake Dooley - Production Student
 * Tom Boucher - Production Student
 * Murray Gold - Original music
 * BBC National Orchestra of Wales - Performed music
 * Ben Foster - Conductor

Pre-recorded scenes

 * Steve Hughes - Director
 * Richard Senior - Director

Promotion

 * The promotion of The Crash of the Elysium, initially, left out any mention of Doctor Who connections until not long prior to the first performances of the immersive experience. The promotion also involved tie-in websites and a short teaser on the Doctor Who website.