Open Sesame Redux

Experimental theatre design meets escape room in a treasure hunt that will playfully explore the errors of our past! Come discover the future of collaborative storytelling through connective puzzle-solving.

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is one of the most well-known of Shehrezad’s stories from One Thousand and One Nights, and Ali Baba’s secret phrase “Open Sesame” has become infamous in the English-speaking world. But untethered from their source and fraught with inaccuracies, interpretations can change as often as the desert sand… now a new treasure trove stands to be unlocked at this year’s Great Exhibition Road Festival!

Can you outwit thieves in a game of poisoned chalice? Stick your hand in a pit of vipers? Crack Ali Baba’s code? We invite you and your friends to try unlocking the treasures of yore and maybe learn something along the way.

This activity is developed and delivered by students from the Royal College of Art. You are welcome to join individually, enlist strangers, or join as a group.

Visitor information

This is a drop-in event that is open to all genders and suitable for adults only. The workshop takes place in a zone for people 18+ only. People younger than 18+ will not be allowed entry into the building.

This event has step-free access. Accessible toilets can be found on the ground floor of the building.

To attend the Festival, please make sure to register for free. Registering is the only way to receive the latest Festival updates, a first look at the programme, and opportunities to book free tickets for popular events.

Register now for the Festival >