Iconic Sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds comes to Playhouse 

Innovative theatre company, imitating the dog, brings a unique take on the well-known sci-fi show to Liverpool

Coming to the Liverpool Playhouse from Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 March, the production takes on a different approach through camera tricks, miniature sets and projection, blurring the boundaries between live action and recorded imagery in its staging of H.G. Wells’ well-known The War of the Worlds.

After their acclaimed adaptations of literary classics Heart of Darkness (2018), Dracula (2021), Macbeth (2023) and Frankenstein (2024), imitating the dog are ready to take their creative storytelling to new heights. The company has been exploring the fusion of live green‑screen performance with intricately crafted miniature model worlds to create a “live film” assembled in real time before the audience. 

Andrew Quick, Co-Director and Artistic Director of imitating the dog, said:   

“I am so excited to be working on our adaptation of War of the Worlds.  It’s a great story, and its themes of paranoia, moral panic, technological and ecological catastrophe, and the ways in which society implodes when faced with crisis, seem so relevant to today. ” 

Four performers Bonnie Baddoo (All of Us, Royal National Theatre; Alex Rider, Eleventh Hour Films), Morgan Bailey (Night of the Living Dead™ – Remix, imitating the dog; SAS: Rogue Heroes, BBC), Gareth Cassidy (Marvellous, @sohoplace; The Card, Claybody Theatre/New Vic Theatre) and Amy Dunn (Edward II, Royal Shakespeare Company; Hushabye Mountain, Hope Mill Theatre) enter the stage and construct an epic road‑movie before our eyes. 

Its a story we all know… or do we? An apocalyptic tale of alien invasion and the unfolding destruction of everything we hold dear. Extraterrestrial lifeforms land from the skies. Lines of Brits scrabble to flee across the channel while their cities and towns lie in smouldering ruins. It’s all of our worst nightmares. What would you do if order broke down? What would you do to survive? How far would you go to protect your own? 

A camera goes through a crafted miniature of a ruined city, its shattered streets and collapsed buildings looming large. Elsewhere on stage, a performer is filmed live, their image projected into the tiny landscape so that they appear framed in a burnt‑out window. 

This production is created by imitating the dog’s co-artistic directors Andrew Quick, Simon Wainwright and Pete Brooks, along with set and costume designer Abby Clarke (Unfortunate – The Untold Story, national tour), projection and video designer Simon Wainwright (The Kid Stays in the Picture, Royal Court), lighting by Andrew Crofts (Trash Cuisine, Belarus Free Theatre and The Young Vic) and original music composed by James Hamilton (Night of The Living Dead ™ - Remix, imitating the dog).  

The War of the Worlds runs at the Liverpool Playhouse from Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 March. Captioned performances take place on Thursday 5 March at 7.30pm and Saturday 7 March at 2.00pm. Tickets are avalible and are priced from £11–£36.

Find out more and book your tickets here

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