The Iguanodon Restaurant

An outdoor family theatre performance by Emerald Ant!

It’s New Year’s Eve 1853, in Crystal Palace Park, and a group of leading professors and palaeontologists are holding a sumptuous banquet in an unusual venue; inside the concrete mould of an Iguanodon.

We invite you to dine with us! Guests will feast on fossil-fuelled fun with a julienne of joviality, and a dessert of dinosaur delight!

A highly visual, funny and peculiar, fast-moving historical romp of a show, The Iguanodon Restaurant is inspired by this extraordinary real life event, and it takes place inside a massive 35-foot beast.

Emerald Ant’s new show inspires audiences in their geological landscape, fossils and local history. Based on events from 1812 to 1860, which saw a rapid growth in scientific discovery, this exciting family show travels at rollicking speed from Dorset to Sussex and Kent to witness momentous fossil discoveries, and finally to Crystal Palace where the iguanodon still stands.

Over an outrageously indulgent feast, the guests – famous dinosaur hunters and pioneering geologists William Buckland, Gideon Mantell, Mary Anning and Richard Owen – compete over their amazing fossil finds and wrangle over interpretations: Is it a bird? A giant fish? An ancient crocodile? They debate questions around extinction and evolution that shook the Victorian world. How come dinosaurs no longer exist? What is the stone beneath our feet telling us about the world and our place in it?

There will also be dinosaur and fossil themed activities for families to enjoy over the weekend.

Show Timings

Sunday 29th June

12:30pm

2:30pm

Please note, this is an outdoor drama performance, and no actual food will be consumed or offered to visitors as part of the show.

Access

Please click here for more information about Nothe Fort’s accessibility and access guide.

There will be a British Sign Language interpreter for the shows.

There will also be a quiet room for the event weekend, and we have ear-defenders on hand for visitors to borrow.

About Emerald Ant

Dorset-based company Emerald Ant engages local communities across the country in their history and heritage through exciting art and giant spectacle. Recent projects included Castles in the Clouds, where a group of teenagers built an Arabian castle at T E Lawrence’s retreat at Clouds Hill, as well as Horace the Pliosaur, a theatrical life-size sea lizard with a walk-in cinematic belly. Horace has toured the UK for 4 years, performing at Glastonbury, Latitude and Larmer Tree Festivals, in London and Yorkshire, as well as on the Jurassic Coast. Partnering with non-arts specialists in science, history and heritage, Emerald Ant builds the spectacular creatures on a sheep farm in West Dorset.

Creative Director of Emerald Ant, Sarah Butterworth says, “Emerald Ant is delighted to present the second of our outdoor dino theatre shows. This project is a true partnership of artists and scientists, and we thank everyone for creating such a treat, our partner The Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, and our supporters, for enabling this show to take place.”

The Iguanodon Restaurant is supported by Arts Council England and several science bodies. It premiered at Lyme Regis Fossil Festival in April 2016, and has since been travelling to science festivals, schools, music festivals and heritage events around the country. Emerald Ant’s first ‘dino-show’ created for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, Horace the Travelling Pliosaur Cinema, is now completing a five-year UK tour, and has been reviewed as “Immersive street theatre at its very best” (www.festivalkidz.com)

This event is covered by your Annual Pass/General Admission ticket price.

Nothe Fort is dog-friendly, so bring the whole family!