Scenic construction for theatre, immersive spaces and retail windows

Built to be walked past

Scenery for theatre, immersive experiences and retail visual merchandising is seen from many angles and at close range, often for a long run. That changes the build. Joins, edges and backs that a camera would never see are finished properly, surfaces are chosen to survive cleaning and handling, and anything people can reach is made robust.

Visitors touch whatever they can reach, so handrails, edges and anything at hand height get extra attention.

You see the environment first as a realistic render from the viewpoints that matter, whether that is the seats, the route through or the pavement outside the window, drawn from the same plans the carpenters build from.

Materials and methods

Structure is typically timber flats and frames, steel where spans or loads demand it, and CNC-cut sheet materials for repeated or complex shapes. Sculpted elements such as rockwork, mouldings and figures are carved in foam and hard-coated, or cast. Scenic painting then gives surfaces their age, texture and depth, which is where much of the illusion is made.

For touring shows and seasonal windows, scenery is designed to break down into pieces that fit a van and go back up quickly, with fixings that survive repeated assembly.

Immersive and walk-through spaces

In an immersive experience the visitor is inside the scenery, so there is no front and back. Floors, ceilings and corners all have to hold the illusion, lighting and sound are built into the structure, and routes have to work for people moving through in low light or in a crowd.

These spaces are planned from the visitor's path. The render is walked through before the build starts, so sightlines, pinch points and reveals can be tested while they are still easy to change.

Installing on site

Most scenic work is built off site and installed in a tight window: overnight in a shop, between performances in a theatre, before opening in a visitor attraction. We plan the install around that window, check access and loading in advance, and bring the piece in sections sized for the route.

Venues often ask for a method statement and risk assessment before installation. These are prepared as part of the job so the booking isn't held up.

Changes over a run

A long run brings wear and changes. Scenery can be designed with replaceable panels and matched touch-up paint, and a retail scheme can be planned so next season reuses the structure with new faces.

When a scheme ends, the strike is planned as well: what is kept for next time and what is cleared.