Reimagining Flinderella

In spring 2024, the Petrie Museum collaborated with UCL students and researchers to creatively reflect on the legacy of an Egyptologist.

Reimagining Flinderella (January – May 2024) was a Petrie Museum collaborative project with UCL students and researchers, critically questioning the legacy of Egyptologist Flinders Petrie through ephemera, discourse and performance.

In 1923, Flinders Petrie was knighted for "services to Egypt". To mark the occasion UCL students wrote and staged a satirical musical called Flinderella: A Knight in Egypt. 101 years later, Lisa Randisi and Sarita Mamseri co-conceived Reimagining Flinderella, asking: What has become of the play? And who else should we be singing about?

Centring this project on the archival remnants of the original musical programme leaflet, Lisa and Sarita created a three-part series where students could discuss and respond to the legacy of Petrie – seriation, eugenics and all.

Students from Students’ Union UCL societies such as Museums, Musical Theatre, Drama and the Institute of Archaeology Student Archaeology Society responded to the call, bringing some subject knowledge, curiosity and enthusiasm to the planning workshops. With our team’s support and guidance, they further developed skills in archive research, script writing, writing musical scores, performance, production and direction.

These skills were honed to create a site-specific performance in the Petrie Museum in contrast to usual Students’ Union venues. They had to take into consideration matters of limited space, ethical concerns around casting and representation, and collections care in terms of what was allowable in the space.

After a few rehearsals, the students delivered a stupendous performance to a packed-out Museum on the evening of 30 April 2024.

“Well done to all the staff & students involved and everyone at UCL Museums. The production was UCL Museums at its finest!”

(Audience member)

“I really enjoyed the space in which we were performing. I thought it was a very educational, very cool experience. Like I've never done anything other than look at a museum in a museum!”

(Student participant)

“We made a musical that was very up close and personal with the space. And… this significantly differs from the kind of things that Musical Theatre Society would do. I've only been here for seven months of university… for me, going in this being like my first ever acting gig and just being able go absolutely nuts and explore lots of different genres of music while writing… it was fun... I think it was just genuine..."

(Student participant)