After Hiroshima tells the story of the world’s first nuclear bomb and the UK response to that – both in terms of weapon development and protest, through the stories of those who were there.

An intergenerational project, After Hiroshima ran from February 2015 – March 2016 thanks to support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England.

The project used Bubble’s Vernacular Theatre model.

Starting in early 2015, Bubble’s volunteer research team learnt how people received the news of ‘the bomb’, what reaction came from people living in the UK and how families of British servicemen who had served in the Far East, or had been prisoners of war under the Japanese, felt at the time. The project examined the early days and protests by the peace movement leading to the signing of the international Test Ban Treaty by the United States, UK and the then Soviet Union.The testimonies and research were gathered by a dedicated team of over two hundred volunteers and then disseminated through a series of prepping workshops, events and formed the basis of a new script, written by Sarah Woods.
Bubble’s specialist artists helped our intergenerational company of volunteer performers to develop a production which was performed by a community cast of 50 people aged 6-80+ in March 2016.

The project has also formed the basis of training workshops and support pack for teachers. The archive of information uncovered will be shared with the Hiroshima Peace Museum.

For more detailed information about the project please CLICK HERE.

After Hiroshima is part of a triangle of related projects which also includes:
Grandchildren of Hiroshima: which saw local children in Hiroshima interview Hibakusha, or survivors of the atomic bomb. This project culminated in an intergenerational, community performance in Hiroshima & Tokyo in August 2015, to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

and Hiroshima Dispersed which saw 9 groups in 7 countries around the world read the script of Grandchildren of Hiroshima on the day of the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the bomb.