Engineering the Imagination: The Making of Welfare State International
These curated pages were created as a thematic accompaniment to the exhibition 'Engineering Imagination: The Making of Welfare State International'. This exhibition, curated by students in History of Art, Liberal Arts, and Theatre with Innovation was open at the Theatre Collection between May-August 2026.
Welfare State International (WSI) was an alternative arts collective that championed progressive and radical forms of creativity. From 1968-2006 they travelled across the UK and beyond, staging over five hundred elaborate productions with the communities they encountered. From the vast and diverse archive of Welfare State International, the students chose to focus in on five key productions, The Wasteland and the Wagtail, Lantern Processions, Glasgow All Lit Up, Parliament in Flames, and Raising the Titanic. Focusing on their socially engaged, grassroots approach to theatrical production, the in-person exhibition presented the power of collective creativity that WSI achieved through making and imagination.
These curated pages linked below are a helpful research resource to find out more about Welfare State International through audio tours, audiovisual clips and digitised material from the archive.
Click on the links below to find out more.
The WSI Journey
Find out more about WSI and their journey from their founding in the 1960s to their closure in 2006.
Local Collaboration
Find out more about WSI’s collaboration with locals, artists and international groups through the renovation of Lanternhouse, the Nutcracker performance and the annual Ulverston Lantern Processions.
Designing Magic
Find out more about the storytelling process behind WSI’s performance of The Wasteland and the Wagtail.
Feats of Engineering
Find out more about the engineering process behind the sets and props of WSI’s Raising the Titanic and Parliament in Flames performances.
The Performance
Find out more about the performances of WSI, including the 11th Ulverston Lantern Procession, Raising the Titanic and the Nutcracker.
The Legacy
Find out more about WSI’s legacy, from audience feedback to contemporary press coverage.