An exciting new dance-theatre show is exploring the diverse history of one of Kent’s biggest maritime attractions.

Ghost Ships is a large-scale production that will combine elements of hip-hop, Indian dance and spoken word to tell the stories of the Historic Dockyard Chatham.

The show’s opening marks 40 years since the former Royal Dockyard’s closure and is set to be performed in the site’s No. 5 Covered Slip, a monumental structure where Royal Navy ships were built and launched for more than 100 years.

Medway’s award-winning company, Icon Theatre, are behind the immersive new production and hopes that it will introduce audiences to some of the lesser-known stories from the attraction’s rich naval heritage.

“Icon creates theatre that tells unheard local stories with national significance,” says the company’s artistic director Nancy Hirst. “2024 marks 40 years since the closure of Chatham’s former Royal Dockyard and it therefore seemed the right time for us to honour and commemorate the site’s past, one that has shaped both local and national identity through its shipbuilding past and links to the British Empire.

“Much celebrated for its historical significance and the cultural heritage beacon it has become, it’s important not to forget the Dockyard’s shipbuilding and colonial legacy that still impacts communities in Medway and across the world today.

“Through the power of theatre, hip hop, Kathak and music we will explore and celebrate different cultures and the diverse communities that make our society what it is today.”

From 1567 to 1984, the site was one of the world’s most significant dockyards.

Its ships took part in early naval battles for overseas territories including Jamaica and Barbados and delivered supplies and soldiers on behalf of the British Empire.

Ghost Ships exposes some of the ‘hidden’ stories of the dockyard’s history, including Britain’s involvement in slavery and the leading figures who passed through the site, such as abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, the 20 women in the 1700s who pretended to be men to work at the dockyard and the first Black female sailor to serve in the Navy.

“We feel honoured that this production is part of our Dockyard40 programme, a year-long programme commemorating 40 years since the Dockyard closure and celebrating its subsequent transformation,” says Richard Morsley, chief executive at Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.

“The Dockyard has always been central to Medway’s story and this collaboration provides an opportunity to tell this story differently and to engage audiences through a compelling new production.”

Ghost Ships will be at the Historic Dockyard Chatham from Wednesday, September 25 to Saturday, September 28. You can book tickets online here.

The production has been created by Icon Theatre in collaboration with ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company and Amina Khayyam Dance Company.