About

The Ideas Stage is directed by Patrick Morris.  It develops creative partnerships with universities and other research organisations to find imaginative methods of public engagement.  We use theatre to distil and present contemporary social, scientific and cultural ideas to wider audiences.  This can involve the exploration of initial research questions, the dissemination of research findings, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

“This is the theatre of ideas at its very finest. It is mesmerizing, inventive, and provocative”

SCIENCE Magazine on ‘Let Newton Be!‘

Each project has a unique raison d’etre and direction.  We work closely with partners to identify the most engaging methods of reaching specific audiences.

We are currently working with ‘The Good Death?’ Project at the University of Cambridge, in an open-ended project which has resulted in audio monologues being written and recorded, and a new play premiering at the 2021 Cambridge Festival.  Recent Ideas Stage projects include a collaboration with UCL Medical School on a spin-off from our Not Quite Right with THIS Institute in Cambridge; and  The Great Austerity Debate, with the University of Cambridge Geography Department.  Previous projects and partners include  QMUL and Amnesty International (Human Rights! Bloody Human Rights!), the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University (Pictures of You), UEA and the University of Texas.  The Ideas Stage has toured nationally with The Great Austerity Debate and internationally to the Ireland, USA, Canada and Turkey with two verbatim plays drawn from the works of Charles Darwin (Re:Design) and Isaac Newton (Let Newton Be!).  More recently, our ‘What’s Up Doc?’ collaborations between playwrights and academics have explored a variety of contemporary concerns at the Hotbed Festivals 2013-16.

Click here for latest Ideas Stage news

Click here to read more about our current projects.

We are open to approaches from academics and research institutions. If you would like to discuss a project, please contact Patrick Morris, Ideas Stage Director.

Email: patrick@menagerie.uk.com

Tel: 44-(0)1223 403361