Disrupt the Archives - Make an Escape Room
About the Project
In 2024 Northumberland Archives were awarded a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop an exciting creative digital project working with young people across the county aged 12-18.
Young people in the Hexhamshire area are invited to take part in our Escape Room Project. This will run over various dates from October 2024 – February 2025. During this time, the young people will have a FREE ESCAPE ROOM EXPERIENCE, FREE visit to Northumberland Archives, and work with professional escape room designers, set designer, and a professional theatre company to create their own touring escape room in a repurposed library van.
There are roles for everyone from puzzle design, coding & electronics, set design, and narrative development, to acting, filming, and music production.
Open to all young people aged 12-18.
For more information and to sign up, email Megan Wilson – Disrupt the Archives Project Officer at megan.wilson@northumberland.gov.uk
Sign up deadline – 1 October 2024.
Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. You will be notified on 2 October whether you have successfully been allocated a space.
Workshop Dates
Young people can choose to attend all or some of the workshops depending on their interests
Saturday 12 October
10am-12pm, Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Includes FREE ESCAPE ROOM EXEPRIENCE at Project Escape – Hexham
Saturday 19 October
10am-12pm, Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Play testing puzzles, coming up with prototype puzzle ideas
Saturday 9 November
10am-2.30pm
Return transport between Hexham and Woodhorn will be provided.
Free visit to Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn. Behind the scenes tour, looking at documents, creating game ideas inspired by the archive
Saturday 23 November
10am-12pm, Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Building a narrative – designing the idea behind the escape room
Saturday 7 December
Christmas trip – free activities and transport provided. Details TBC
Saturday 11 January
10am-12pm, Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Prototyping puzzles | Prototyping set design | Prototyping characters and recorded media
Saturday 25 January
10am-12pm, Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Testing puzzles | Testing set design | Testing characters and recorded media
Saturday 15 February
10am-12pm, Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Refining puzzles | Refining set design | Refining characters and recorded media
Monday 24 – Friday 28 February – Half Term Intensive
Young people can choose to attend on some or all days. Lunch and snacks will be provided.
10am-4pm, Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Make an escape room in a week. Convert a library van into a touring escape room. Includes working with a professional escape room designer, professional set designer and professional theatre company November Club
After the Workshops
After the Half Term intensive, the young people will be invited to take the escape room to a number of youth groups for the escape room to be play tested.
After the play tests, the escape room will be refined into it’s final version which will be toured across the county, and hosted at the Forum Cinema in Hexham, Northumbria University, and County Hall in Morpeth for members of the public to try their hand at escaping.
