Pathogen of War

Shubbak Festival and BAC present the preview of Pathogen of War: An immersive experience exploring a mysterious killer born of war. In 2023, this pathogen kills between 50,000-100,000 people a year. 

We’ll take you forward to 2073, a decade after the Bio-Rift – the moment when all bacteria became resistant to all our antibiotics, resulting in the deaths of around half the human population.

This speculative interactive work combines real science with a possible near future looking at the dangers of antibiotic resistance. As participants, you’ll become members of the Recovery Administration, being trained in what caused the Bio-Rift and tasked with ensuring it never happens again.

Iraqi medical anthropologist Dr Omar Dewachi will take you on a journey to understand how Acinetobacter baumannii went from being a relatively benign bacteria to a “perfect killer”, also known by its US moniker ‘Iraqibacter’ or the ‘invisible enemy’.

Together you’ll reveal the many layers of this bacteria’s social history – from the microscopic to the geopolitical, unearthing how the consequences of war can drive pathogens, which threaten the viability of antibiotics, and our health, globally.

This is a preview run of the show in London.

Director: Yasmin Fedda
Executive Producer: May Abdalla – Anagram
Producer: Dan Davies-Black Leaf Films

Developed with CPH: Lab and at the National Theatre Immersive Storytelling Studio residency.
Generously supported by Arts Council England.
Supported by Queen Mary University of London.