Samuel Johnson House gets ‘Fired Up’ for Drama

Published: 08 February 2018

Things are hotting up at the Birthplace Museum as Fired Up Theatre has been announced as our official theatre in residence. 'Wiki Words' is a year-long 'sit-com' which brings Johnson and his cronies bang up to date in a hilarious new drama. Inspired in part by both ‘Blackadder’ and ‘Horrible Histories’, the episodic drama combines witty wordplay, slapstick, fun and laughter in three productions during 2018. Each production consists of two episodes, making six instalments in total over the course of the year. Written by poet and playwright, Mal Dewhirst, ‘Dr Johnson’s Wiki Words’ sees Dr Johnson struggling with new technology and social media in a world where words have left the confines of the page for the wide open realms of the internet. This partnership promises to bring a newer, younger audience into the museum, whilst also celebrating the life of our city's famous man of words.

The first production takes place on Thursday 1st March as part of Lichfield Literary Festival. There will be three chances to see the performance of the first two episodes, entitled ‘Dictionary’, at 6:30pm, 8:00pm and 9:30 pm. The next part of Dr Johnson’s 'Wiki Words' (episodes 3 and 4) is due to be performed on Saturday 2nd June, with the final part (episodes 5 and 6) in September. To book through our website, please click here.