New Hologram Show Blends Immersive Design and Technology With Live Performance

Acclaimed immersive design and spatial storytelling company IMMERSIVE INTERNATIONAL has announced the opening of a brand-new theatrical experience, The Alchemist - The Secret Life of Isaac Newton, an ambitious new production combining live performance and technology, bringing together traditional theatre design, animation, projection and holographic content.

Inspired by the life and work of Isaac Newton, the show transports audiences to an incredible world of scientific discovery. Set in the late 1600s, we join Isaac at Cambridge University, struggling to finish his latest book on gravity, and consumed by a quest to transform metal into gold: Alchemy. Isaac develops a theory that gold was originally created by powerful explosions in the stars and sets out to build the world's most advanced machine, and replicate that process, triggering the start of a fantastical adventure.

The permanent production is one of the main attractions at the brand-new Valley of Wonder Theme Park in Xiangyang, China. The show takes place in a purpose-built, 324-capacity theatre built whose design is inspired by the grandeur of 17th century colleges in Cambridge. IMMERSIVE INTERNATIONAL consulted on the design of the theatre itself to ensure that its architecture and technical specifications were optimised so that capabilities for the immersive design elements including the hologram and projections, were integrated seamlessly with traditional theatre design.

Working in close collaboration with Shenzhen Magic Show Culture Technology (ae??aoe?e?"c??ae-?a?-c?'ae??aeoe?e??a??a??) and the Valley of Wonder (e??e??a??a??a??a??a??a??a??a??) theme park, Immersive was responsible for all creative and technical elements of the production.

IMMERSIVE INTERNATIONAL has been involved in The Alchemist since its conception, and the studio has conceived, written, produced, directed and designed all elements from concept through to delivery. One of the world's most innovative immersive design and storytelling studios, IMMERSIVE INTERNATIONAL's credits include the London 2012 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Comcast Sphere with Steven Spielberg, the world's first holographic car race for BMW, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and Expo 2020 Dubai.

In addition to IMMERSIVE INTERNATIONAL's design and storytelling capabilities, the company brought a series of technological innovations to the project, including highly responsive and visually stunning holographic effects that live performers interact with, and act as another character in the show.

IMMERSIVE INTERNATIONAL works as one global studio across all its geographic locations in Shanghai, London, Toronto and Cape Town, bringing together the best global and local talent to deliver every project. As well as designing, filming and rehearsing in China, the visual language of the show was brought to life by an international creative team over a 2-year period, using both real-time game engines and a VR rendering of the theatre that allowed them to build and test the CGI and holographic elements, block the live-action and programme the lighting design before the theatre was even built.

The project was led for IMMERSIVE INTERNATIONAL by the company's Managing Director and Executive Creative Director Tommy Lexen, an experienced theatre producer and director as well as producer of large-scale creative events.

Tommy said:

"Technology and innovation are playing an ever-greater role in the evolution of stage performance and production design and this show is a great example. The Alchemist was an incredible opportunity for us to use our experience of working with cutting-edge creative technologies that drive the world's biggest live experiences and permanent installations within a more traditional theatrical production process. In doing so we believe we have created a unique spectacle that demonstrates the exciting possibilities for the future of live performance, particularly in terms of real-time rendered virtual set design and visual effects."

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