Play reveals the untold stories of death on stage

Joseph Hasselman, an assistant to a lion tamer, was mauled to death at the Palace Theatre in Gloucester in 1907

An author who wrote a book on bizarre and tragic deaths in theatrical history is now "bringing death to life" on stage.

Chris Wood compiled the collection of grisly tales for his book Death in the Theatre, and is now touring the country with his namesake performance.

The one-man show explores untimely deaths that have occurred in British theatres, including two within the same week in Swindon, Wiltshire.

"Even the way that human life was considered was different," he explained. "The show must always go on, and that is how literal they used to take things."

Chris Wood said many of the deaths were "entirely preventable"

From fires and falls to being mauled to death by a lion, the book and play explore lesser-known incidents that have unfolded behind the curtain.

"The venues which have been around for a long time have got an awful lot of history. They're buildings of high emotion," said Mr Wood.

"It's an incredible thing to think that pretty much every theatre you go in, something horrendous has happened in real life."

In Swindon, a young acrobat missed a trick and broke his neck on the Queen's Theatre stage in 1900, just days before a 35-year-old man in the audience died suddenly.

One particular case that became "engrained" in Mr Wood's mind while researching was the Victoria Hall Theatre disaster in 1883.

A free toy giveaway at the end of a show caused a stampede which killed 183 children after they were crushed against an inward-opening door.

The calamity led to a young architect inventing the emergency panic bolt doors that are now compulsory in public buildings across the UK.

The book and play explore lesser-known incidents that have unfolded behind the curtain

Mr Wood says some cases also embodied a "grim irony", such as one stage worker who was killed when a fire safety curtain collapsed on top of him.

Another technician died mid-performance after toppling from the fly-tower above.

"The play wasn't even stopped, the man was just ushered away behind stage and nothing was spoken of it. It was just a peril of the job," Mr Wood explained.

"Deaths are often glossed over and lost to time, which is almost inexcusable in many respects. I wanted to bring those back to the public consciousness.

"It's been remarkable to look at how theatre has changed over the years, not least in health and safety."

Mr Wood will be performing his play at the Swindon Arts Centre on 27 October.