Always on
This project successfully funded on 24th October 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Secrets of Barrenbrook - Dumfries & Galloway Tour
Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom
Aim
The Secrets of Barrenbrook is an interactive live theatre experience, locally-grown with global ambitions, and we want YOU to be part of it!
Welcome to Barrenbrook
A town of whispers, a past steeped in mystery, and a future shaped by you.
Deception lingers in the air, alliances shift, and the truth is unclear.
A gathering of strangers becomes a community, where some watch and listen, while others step forward to guide the town’s fate.
Dumfries & Galloway’s very own immersive theatre company Bunbury Banter has always prioritised intensifying the human connections at the heart of storytelling and “The Secrets of Barrenbrook” takes this to the next level. Neither theatre nor game, but something of both - The village of Barrenbrook is made real over and over, as a direct manifestation of each audience. The bonds we make, the lies we tell, the suspicions we take to the grave, all intertwine to tell the story of one unassuming village and the nights it will never forget.
Inspired by classic social deduction and deception game Werewolf, if you were hooked on Channel 4’s The Traitors or have ever lost yourself in a game of Blood on the Clocktower, The Secrets of Barrenbrook is the show for you!
How we got here
The Secrets of Barrenbrook began as a way for us to stay connected with our community and audiences when the COVID-19 lockdowns hit. We wanted to use the digital meeting spaces that had become such a part of daily life overnight to build opportunities for creative and entertaining connections to a world suddenly so full of isolation.
The simple online storytelling game quickly snowballed - through regular events, private requests and a Halloween special, through research and development with the University of Glasgow’s Game Lab, out of lockdown and into the realm of live theatre, including invitations to perform the show at the World Science Fiction Convention 2024 as well as the VOIDSPACE Live Festival 2025.
Where we’re going
Through all these iterations, the show has always been very simple: A solo performer, a writer, and a tiny creative team, doing our very best with minimal resources. But the overwhelming feedback has always been “We want MORE!” - By adding a co-director, a design team, a stage manager, and an access & inclusion consultant, we are in the middle of taking Barrenbrook to the next level, crafting a high-quality experience that is more immersive, more gripping, and more intricate than ever before.
Despite these growing ambitions, the intimacy of a small audience is at the heart of what makes Barrenbrook so special. We are passionate about the real connections formed between audience members as we share in the story together and although we are ready to share the show on a national (or even international!) scale, it is critical to us to connect locally as we do. We would love to take Barrenbrook on a rural tour throughout Scotland, bringing quality, innovative, intimate theatre to village halls and community venues across the country.
How YOU can make it happen
Avoiding the commercial pressures of large-scale venues and popular audiences is a big task, and to make it work we need to show that there is appetite for exciting work like this in rural communities. We want to start right here in our home region of Dumfries and Galloway because we’re tired of feeling like an afterthought when it comes to arts programming, with many “national” tours never leaving the central belt.
While we have received some support from funding partners, budget cuts across the board have led to an ongoing hostile culture of austerity within the arts. By pre-ordering your tickets to the show through this Crowdfunder you will be giving us the financial security we need to make the show the best it can be, providing evidence that there is demand for cutting-edge performance in rural areas, and cementing yourself as a formative member of the Barrenbrook community.
Join the village today by securing tickets in the location of your choice, and get your hands on some unique rewards in celebration of your critical support.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Tickets can be pre-ordered via this Crowdfunder For the following tour dates and locations:
- 7.30pm - Friday 31st October, Theatre Royal, Dumfries - Studio
- 7.30pm - Saturday 1st November, Sanquhar Town Hall
- 7.30pm - Saturday 8th November, Millennium Centre, Stranraer
- 7.30pm - Friday 14th November, Lockerbie Town Hall
- 7.30pm - Saturday 15th November, Old School, Thornhill
We will also return to the Theatre Royal, Dumfries for a special final performance on Saturday 22nd November. Tickets for this show are not available via this crowdfunder. See www.bunburybanter.com for more information.
Reward Tiers
Whether you want to simply show your support with a coin in the well, or be immortalised as Barrenbrook Royalty, there are so many different ways to contribute. Every tier from Restless Soul upwards includes a limited edition Secrets of Barrenbrook coin, so you can make all future high stakes yes/no decisions in your life in style!
Wishing Well
Drop a coin in the well for a chance to win a free ticket to the show in a location of your choice. Show your support for our work and be the first to hear about updates.
Restless Soul
Early-bird ticket to the show at the location of your choice and a thank you shout out on our socials!
Generous Spirit
Two tickets to see the show at the location of your choice. Mention in the programme, socials shout-out, signed Barrenbrook poster and a limited edition coin to be collected from the Box Office on the night of the show.
Inner Circle
Four tickets to see the show at the location of your choice. Guaranteed seats in the front three rows. Mentions in the programme and a shout out on socials, and a signed poster and limited edition Barrenbrook coin for each of you. Plus, a special invitation to be part of the process by joining us in rehearsals for a practice game!
Barrenbrook Royalty
Two front row tickets to the show of your choice. Mentions in the programme and a shout out on socials, as well as a limited edition Barrenbrook coin and signed poster for each of you. One fully custom personal Barrenbrook obituary and portrait to be picked up at the theatre on the night of your choice. Plus, an invitation into rehearsals as well as first night drinks with the Barrenbrook team!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made