Storehouse – Deptford Storehouse, Deptford

Concept Creator: Liana Patarkatsishvili
Creative Director: Sophie Larsmon
Co-Writers: Katie Lyons, Tristan Bernays, Sonali Bhattacharyya, Kathryn Bond, Caro Murphy, Rhik Samadder

“Beautiful, but Baffling“

2 / 5

Fake news, misinformation and media scepticism is rife. Who can you trust to tell the truth, and how can you even tell what the truth is anymore? Storehouse is aptly hosted at a disused Deptford warehouse, that was previously Rupert Murdoch’s paper store, it’s a grandiose venue with an impressive design, but has an ambitious storyline that never fully finds its footing.

Visitors are split into various groups as they are appointed trustees of the archive on arrival to Storehouse. As we sit in the briefing room, with BBC News covering the Israel / Iran conflict in the background, it’s a bleakly dystopian introduction to current affairs and the monumental job that outlets have to cover such integral stories. We learn that the facility was opened in 1983 along with the birth of the internet, to archive every social media post, story, meme or message shared digitally worldwide. 2025 was supposed to be the year that the ‘Great Aggregation’ was supposed to take place, resulting in universal truth forevermore. But, the facility is in disrepair – ink leaks seep from the ceiling and books bound with information are slowly deteriorating. Can us new trustees help to get the mission back on track or is humanity subjected to lies forever?

The idea of the storyline is interesting and relevant, but it’s execution is poorly done, resulting in a very underwhelming narrative experience. The first 30 minutes or so, focuses on lots of bland introductions to various characters – a book binder (Rob Leetham), a stacker (Elizabeth Hollingshead) and a caretaker (Nat Kennedy), all giving their brief insight into the work they do at the facility and it’s importance. Quite a lot of detail goes into these job descriptions, which successfully gives the visitors the ‘job induction’ feel that we’re supposed to have as new trustees – but true to a realistic job induction, it’s unfortunately often pretty boring. There are strange plot points that are never fully explored – such as the multiple wellbeing breaks that call for a bizarre synchronised dance to Karma Chameleon. The workers haven’t left the facility since it was opened 40 years ago and have gained immortal life, but again, with no real clear explanation how or why at any point.

There are a few interactive elements throughout, but very low-energy, brief additions, such as putting inkblot pages together to try and reveal the mysterious figure that is attacking the facility. Though big names such as Toby Jones and Meera Syal are heavily used within the promotional material as voiceovers, there aren’t too many instances where they are heard – and when they are, they don’t have as much impact on the storyline as the actual actors do, so their inclusion feels like an unnecessary gimmick just to pull people in. The conclusion is very on the nose and feels more like a school lesson – truth is good, lies are bad, how can we do better in future? The tone switching between convoluted and childish is a strange mix that is prevalent throughout, and results in no-one really feeling like the target audience.

One thing however that cannot be flawed is the impeccably intricate set (Alice Helps) and lighting design (Ben Donoghue) that turns the warehouse into a mesmerising maze of visual delights. Each room is beautifully designed, creating stunning reveals as we move from room to room throughout the experience. It’s a shame that such strong aesthetic appeal isn’t combined with an expectedly engaging narrative, but it at least helps, as does the bar at the end with the gorgeous outdoor seating and riverside views.

Runs until 20 September 2025