WISHMAS Reveals Official Event Partners and Full Creative Team

As Wishmas: A Fantastical Christmas Adventure prepares to begin performances next month, the official event partners and the creative team have been announced for London's new, ultimate festive adventure.

Opening for a strictly limited season at London's Old Bauble Factory, underneath Waterloo station this winter, Wishmas is a 60-minute, fully immersive walk-through experience, which will run from 14 November 2023 – 7 January 2024 (Media Day: Tuesday 21 November).

Five premium brands have been confirmed, all of whom have their own roles in the production's journey:

• Fortnum and Mason will bring their world-renowned, delectable products to the Wishmas Village.
• LG's OLED and T-OLED cutting-edge screens are crucial in bringing the world of Wishmas to life, they will showcase mind-blowing content that will propel the audience into the Wishmas story.
• The much-loved children's toy Tonies will play a role in the Wishkeeper's story as the audience departs on their adventure.
• Pip Organic will be on hand in the Wishmas Village to quench the thirst of our audience after their trip to the magical world of Wishmas …
• Priority from O2 bringing amazing Wishmas experiences to their Priority customers

At the same time, the creative team behind this new family experience has been confirmed.

Joining Elgiva Field (Creative Director) are: Michelle McMahon, (Creative Associate Director), Matthew Blake, (Performance Director), Julie Landau, (Designer), Tim Mitchell, (Lighting Designer), Charlie Tymms (Puppet Design and Fabrication), John Bulleid (Illusion Designer), Catherine Woodhouse (Video Designer) and  Beth Duke (Sound Designer/Composer).

Elgiva Field is an Associate Director at Theatre-Rites, a field leader in making work for children, where her credits include Bank On It, Paradise, Beasty Baby, Tangled Tales and Recycled Rubbish. Her work with Punchdrunk includes The Third Day and mask shows The Drowned Man and The Masque of the Red Death.

Michelle McMahon is an Irish writer and director with over a decade of experience of making stories for theatre, audio and digital platforms with new technologies in unexpected places.

Matthew Blake regularly works as an associate director for Punchdrunk on site-specific work all over the globe and his credits include:  The Third Day and The Oracles.

Julie Landau works across a range of disciplines from interior design, through to events and retail.  Her credits include: The Third Day and Silverpoint for Punchdrunk and Lost Origin for The Almeida and Factory 42.

Tim Mitchell is an Associate Artist of the RSC, and an Olivier Award-nominated lighting designer whose work includes Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 for the RSC and Sinatra the Musical at Birmingham Rep.

Charlie Tymms's credits as a puppet designer include Life of Pi in the West End and Broadway, the films:  Isle of Dogs (West Anderson), Artemis Fowl (Kenneth Branagh) and Frankenweenie (Tim Burton).

The Olivier award-winning illusion designer John Bulleid's theatre credits include: Harry Potter & The Cursed Child (Palace Theatre), The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (National Theatre) ad Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre).

Catherine Woodhouse is a video designer for performance and large-scale events.  Her credits include: the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony, Pan American Games Opening Ceremony, Giudizio Universale for the Sistine Chapel (Luke Halls Studio) and artists including Stormzy, Dave, Camila Cabello (Tawbox).

Beth Duke is a composer and sound designer for theatre, screen and events. Her credits include - Mog the Forgetful Cat (Old Vic Theatre); Diablo IV (Secret Cinema), Bridgerton (Secret Cinema); Mad House (Ambassadors Theatre); Death Drop: Back in the Habit (Garrick Theatre) and J'Ouvert (Harold Pinter Theatre & BBC iPlayer).

Elgiva Field, former Associate Director of the ground-breaking immersive theatre company Punchdrunk and Theatre-rites directs the fully immersive World Premiere Event from the team behind Secret Cinema.

Asked what audiences can expect from Wishmas, Creative Director Elgiva Field says:

“It all begins with the festive spirit, wherever that burns bright, an Old Bauble Factory emerges, a signal that Wishmas is near. Hidden in its depths is a portal that leads to the enchanted realm of Wishmas. Looking after wishes is a complex operation that starts with a Sorting Office. You arrive at this secret dispatch - where robins arrive with the world's wishes, stored safely in their red bauble breasts - and the Wishkeeper attendant readies those baubles for safe transportation to Wishmas. You'll board a specially chartered conveyance that will whisk you and the wishes on your journey to Wishmas. We are filling the space with fun and festive experiential installations that bring the world of Wishmas to life. Audiences will flow from one space to the next, each room a playful contrast to the previous one, all inventively inspired by the Christmas canon. Discover where your wishes go and why robins are so important to Christmas!”

Click here to read more about Elgiva's plans for the creation of London's ultimate festive attraction.

Start a new Christmas tradition this festive season… and step into the magical world of Wishmas, an enchanted realm where all your wishes take flight.

Secret Cinema has built a reputation on creating trailblazing storytelling through spectacular, cinematic extravaganzas from existing stories. But now, after 15 years, Wishmas is the first fully original creation from the remarkable team at Secret Cinema. Spanning 70 productions worldwide, from intimate grassroots film screenings in abandoned buildings, to epic productions in open spaces, Secret Cinema has been experienced by thousands of people at each performance. To date, the UK-based brand has welcomed over a million people into their one-of-a-kind worlds. 

In Secret Cinema, the boundaries between performer, audience, set and reality constantly shift; over the years fans have seamlessly travelled ‘Back to the Future' with Marty McFly, stumbled out of the ‘Moulin Rouge' onto the cobbled streets of Paris, joined the Rebel Alliance in ‘Star Wars' and danced the night away at Kellerman's Resort for ‘Dirty Dancing'. 

Wishmas: A Fantastical Christmas Adventure is a fully immersive World Premiere Event from the creative minds behind Secret Cinema. Book your Wishmas experience today and start a new Christmas tradition.

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