Little Mermaid was an immersive staging of the classic fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. Staged in an unusual location in Hoxton, this musical theatre experience was one of the first to encourage audiences back out after lockdown. The show’s creators, Fever Originals, citing our authentic world-building capabilities, approached us to create an immersive lighting design fit for a sea witch’s palace.

The experience began in a cosy, old-world harbour pub where the story was narrated as a sailor’s tale. We complimented the immersive set design and staging with practical light sources reminiscent of a smugglers haunt. From our workshop we converted old nautical light fixtures into show-ready dimmable fixtures capable of fine control over the light level and mood. Participants were led through the fog and into the depths of the ocean by actors holding these bespoke lanterns, which doubled as their key light. This intimacy set the tone for the audience as they were led into the main performance space where the next three scenes unfolded, each scene paired with a themed cocktail. We used pockets of saturated light and UV to focus the action and set the ambiance for each scene - from water-effect projectors for underwater encounters with Ariel, to animated UV lighting for the Ursula’s lair, which also complimented the glowing UV reactive cocktails.

The show faced unique design challenges due to the use of safety screens that would impact the lighting, but we were able to use these to our advantage by projecting water effects across polycarbonate dividers to enrich the immersion - bringing the audience into the heart of the Little Mermaid’s underwater world.