Theatrical Christmas Experience Theming

Once Upon A Kingswood Christmas Performance

Once Upon A Christmas is an interactive promenade show set in the halls of Kingswood House in South London.

The experience is 45-50 minutes long, leading guests on a journey through several rooms, sets and to meet lots of different characters throughout the tale. The story is captivating, and imaginative and evokes the festive spirit among an audience full of families and young children.

THE BRIEF

Staging a Multi-Scene Immersive Theatre Experience

Our Kingswood Christmas journey began when we were contacted by the boutique events agency, Cerebrum. As industry leaders in creating immersive, audience-focused experiences, we were ecstatic to be working on such a project with this highly skilled team.

Cerebrum approached our team in November, just a month before the curtains up on the performance! Having been let down by a previous decor company, they were looking for a company to quickly and efficiently immerse themselves into the storyline and come up with the perfect staging solutions to reflect it.

We spoke to the client over the phone, having them relay the storyline and key moments/ locations in the plot. Due to the performance being spread across multiple rooms and stages, it was imperative that we had a clear understanding of the audience's journey.

The performance was to evoke a sense of magic, warmth and adventure for the children in the audience. We aimed to replicate the essence of a traditional fairytale, while also sending the audience on a thrilling adventure to save Father Christmas.

Creating An Immersive Experience With Design & Clever Theming

OUR CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

With tight deadlines and limited building time to overcome, our team worked hard to create a series of individual, turnkey packages that showcased inventory stock, bespoke builds and personalisation of existing pieces.

Each package was created for a different set and moment of the storyline and designed to move in fluidity with one other. The actors' movement between scenes was thoughtfully incorporated into our design process.

The first scene of the show was based within the ‘playroom’- a set adorned with warm flickering fairy lights and homely, Christmas accessories to bring warmth and atmosphere from the get-go. We scattered a selection of vintage leather floor cushions for the audience to sit on and feel a part of the performance.

Moving through to the next room, we crafted a bespoke wardrobe prop, enticing guests to open and be greeted with the ‘wolf’ character on a two-way mirror system. Hanging within was a nod to a well-known Narnia scene, with hanging fur coats and accessories to set the scene.

This magical wardrobe was tailor-made to fit the door at Kingswood Arts, and since we couldn’t conduct a site visit, we relied on dimensions relayed over email to ensure everything fit perfectly.

The next scene replicated a festive woodland, featuring real and artificial trees—some over 13 feet tall—scattered with snow and bark chippings. In the corner of this scene, a cosy nook with a fireplace foreshadowed an upcoming scene.

As the audience moved forward, we created ‘The Heist Room’ where children were encouraged to engage with the story and solve the mystery of the White Queen. The staging included potion bottles, vintage magnifying glasses, and reclaimed wood screens for displaying notes and evidence.

The next of the rooms was the ‘Throne Room’. The Snow Queen was situated here, on our giant branch throne, handmade in our workshop and an installation of white twigs, a vintage patina lion statue and a scattering of artificial snow. It was finished with blue light to reflect the icy nature of the queen.

The final rooms included Santa’s Grotto, furnished with vintage furniture, Persian rugs, and bespoke festive decor. This was followed by a “Wishing Tree” installation, a large, reclaimed wood tree, handcrafted in our workshop, for the children to add their Christmas wishes to.

Explore the mood boards and concepts below.

The End Results

The immense praise from the audience made it clear that this event was a triumph. Thanks to the efforts of the fantastic team of actors, directors, production crew, and lighting and sound experts, the entire story came to life, transporting the children into a fairytale during their visit to the centre.

From the moment guests arrived, every detail encapsulated the essence of Christmas. Every corner was thoughtfully decorated, ensuring the experience was both believable and enchanting.

Despite the challenges of tight deadlines and a complex storyline to absorb and tailor designs to, both the client and our team were thrilled with the results and impressed with the immersive theming we brought to life.