The Nightmare Before Christmas

Using the script and music of Tim Burton's original film, this project, in response to a brief set by the Delfont Macintosh Group, the project presents an immersive Halloween celebration.

Set in a decaying 1950s American suburbia, the production would transform The Prince Edward Theatre into an immersive Halloween experience, decorating the theatre with twisted 1950s advertisements, carved pumpkins and an overture of creaking branches, sinister laughter and whistling wind as audience members enter and take their seats. In order to design and create an experience that differs from others being produced around this time of year I have also removed some of the traditional Halloween characters such as The Werewolf, The clown, The Witches, and the Ghosts.

To instil the sinister and unsettling atmosphere the pristine backdrop of a 1950s suburbia will be overrun with damp and decay. After being inhabited by monsters for many years, the immaculate and vibrant town has fallen into disrepair, with rot setting into the buildings and fugus and mould infesting the town and its inhabitants. This damp and decay will be taking over the monsters’ costumes with fabrics being moth eaten and covered in mildew; the bodies of some of the characters will be rotting away.