LONDON’S FIRST PURPOSE BUILT IMMERSIVE THEATRE
SPACE 18
OPENS IN THE WEST END
LAUNCHING WITH THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
GROUNDBREAKING IMMERSIVE GAMING EXPERIENCE
OPENING 13 APRIL 2019
FOR ITS DEADLY WORLD PREMIERE
Big Dreamer Productions unveils Space 18, the huge new theatrical complex built specifically to house immersive and experiential theatre. Combining 7 buildings, 35 floors and more than 25,000 square foot, the venue, which is located at 39-41 New Oxford Street, will open on 13 April 2019 with their inaugural production Variant 31, Europe’s largest immersive gaming experience.
The opening production will feature a cast of 120 highly trained professional actors; experienced in parkour, aerial acrobatics, stage combat, fire poi, and intense full contact performances, makingVariant 31 the largest employer of actors and theatrical technicians currently running in the West End.
Dalton Dale, Artistic Director, Big Dreamer Productions and creator of Variant 31 said, “I wanted to create an incredible experience unlike anything that has been seen before, allowing audiences to really get involved in the production. What we’ve created here in Space 18 is the possibility for the future of theatrical entertainment to go further than it has ever gone before.
Everything inside is custom made specifically for this production, from the sets to the lighting, the music, and the technology and it gives me great pleasure knowing you can’t see any part of this anywhere else on Earth.
We will also welcome other artists and companies to use our incredible asset for their own productions, and hope to help foster those relationships and creative innovations for years to come.”
Unlike traditional theatre, Dalton Dale and his co-producers wish to explore clever and innovative techniques to engage today’s audiences who simply crave more than the traditional theatrical experience. By creating this ambitious new venue, they have provided a world of possibilities for audiences to fully immerse themselves and explore the colossal structure, which occupies an entire city block in the heart of London’s West End.
VARIANT 31
Variant 31 is a 90 minute long adrenaline-fuelled live-action game, in which players navigate through the expansive 25,000 square foot labyrinth. Once inside this immaculately detailed hidden world, the aim is simply to survive and escape. Work in teams to solve group challenges and play individually to complete personal objectives and puzzles to forge your own path to freedom. Those seeking safety in numbers are free to work together and find their way through the experience as a group.
Get off the couch, leave the video game behind and star in your own story.
Do you have what it takes to stay alive?
Welcome to Toxico Technologies’ top-secret live demonstration of their latest weapon in modern warfare, ‘Variant 31’; a serum so powerful it allows the user to control death itself.
The demonstration goes horribly awry and turmoil ensues as reanimated cadavers go on the warpath. Their sole mission is to hunt and destroy the invading enemy… you.
Do you have the skills and the stamina to overcome an array of terrifying creatures, and make it out alive? Or will the sheer terror be too much to handle….
Unleash the horror, choose your adventure and #AimForTheHead
Unlike any other immersive experience, audiences have the ability to traverse the massive arena however they so choose, utilizing custom-built state of the art wearable technology. Up, down, left and right – the journey you take through the apocalyptic world truly is your own; with over a thousand possible routes, no two adventures will be the same. From unlocking secrets, finding hidden passageways, interacting with characters in one-on-one experiences and piecing together the story for a narrative gaming experience that is uniquely your own.
In addition to Club Z, the game will feature four expertly themed bars, one in the beginning, and three within the game area. Each ticket includes a complimentary drink, which is redeemable at the start from the Serum Dispensary. We find partaking in a little liquid courage before the terror begins, helps to calm the nerves. Once inside the game, you may stop off at any of the three Quarantine check points as often as you’d like, take a breather, and recharge before you bolt back into the madness.
CLUB Z
In addition to the incredible feat of creating and opening this new venue, and live action game, Dale is breathing new life to a world famous London treasure that has been closed for over a decade. Space 18 is partly comprised from the former nightclub The End, a location that was famous for it’s music raves; featuring such performers as Fatboy Slim and The Scissor Sisters. Alongside Variant 31, the venue will reopen the club space as Club Z, where audiences can continue to delight in the immersive world; featuring immersive performers, stunning set design by Secret Cinema’s Tim McQuillen-Wright, guest DJ’s and a brand new first class cocktail menu.
With every admission to Variant 31, audience members get access to the one of a kind nightlife experience in Club Z, which will host themed nights, guest artists, burlesque and circus. Every part of this experience is a show. The walls move, the bar floats and the drinks bubble and flame like magic. Club Z will also be open to private parties, corporate events, birthday and hen/stag do celebrations.
LISTINGS
VARIANT 31 – AN IMMERSIVE SURVIVAL EXPERIENCE
FROM 13 APRIL 2019
SPACE 18
Tickets: From £39
Bookings Line: 0844 815 7141 (KX Tickets)
Open from 9am until 9pm every day. Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your standard network rate
Box Office: Onsite box office open from April 2019
Performances:
Thursdays & Sundays – 6pm, 6.30pm, 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm
Fridays – 6pm, 6.30pm, 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm, 8.30pm, 9pm
Saturdays – 6pm, 6.30pm, 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm, 8.30pm, 9pm, 9.30pm
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Address: Space 18, 39-41 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1BN
Website: Variant31.com
Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @Variant31
#AimForTheHead
#TheExperimentBegins
#ControlYourFear
#TheChoiceIsYours
Club Z Opening Hours:
Thursdays & Sundays – 6pm-11pm
Fridays – 6pm-12am
Saturdays – 6pm-12.30am
Age Requirement: Suitable for 18+
Warning: This experience is only suitable for the brave and adventurous. The production utilizes strong language, simulated violence, actor nudity and is a high adrenaline, fast paced, full contact survival game. This experience is not meant for the faint of heart, expectant mothers, claustrophobic, asthmatic, or those suffering from recent surgery, trauma, phobias, heart conditions, PTSD or any other mental, physical, or medical afflictions. Enter at your own risk.
Variant 31 is produced by Big Dreamer Productions and Stephen McGill Productions, in association with Rachel Kraftman Productions and MDR Productions.