AustLit

'Old Government House (OGH) is one of Queensland’s premier heritage buildings, and is located within the Gardens Point campus of Queensland University of Technology (QUT). This 156-year-old building, now a house museum, offers a tangible link to Queensland’s early colonial life. The museum strives to present the stories of all who lived and worked here. Children generally do not visit historic houses willingly, and to address this OGH collaborated with Imaginary Theatre to develop an innovative and fun way to interpret and present the historical significance of the House to a younger audience. The result was a one-hour site-specific theatre performance, The Voice in the Walls — part game, part audio tour, part theatre. The key objective of the project was to create a visitor experience that captured the attention of nine- to twelve-year-olds by encouraging them to imagine an unfamiliar world and time while also conveying historical information. This article discusses the background to the development of the project, and its evolution from inspiration to practical reality.'

Source: Abstract.