Our first show plans to do just that, propelling audiences into one of the most recognisable worlds of British culture’s recent past.

The status-quo of one dimensional theatre has been shattered... so get out of that dusty seat and come and join us...

You Are The Play!

The advent of immersive theatre opened our eyes. Now it’s time to run with this new found vision. Little Lion’s aim is to create the most exciting, engaging and entertaining theatrical attractions London has ever seen, whilst also being a cultural force for change in opening up theatre to broader and more diverse audiences.

M I SS I O N

In the 1990’s The Crystal Maze was one of Britain’s best loved television shows. It was regularly Channel 4’s most watched programme, with a regular audience of 4-6 million viewers.

Interestingly, research by ‘UKGameshows.com’ has found that 40% of those audiences were 16 or younger when the show originally aired, meaning they would now be in their 30’s (Something we will come back to in ‘Target Audience’). The show was nominated for a BAFTA on 3 occasions and was named the “Greatest UK Game Show of All Time” in a 2010 poll by the UkGameshows website.

M I SS I O N

SUMMARY

A huge part of the show’s success has to be attributed to the performance of maze master Richard O’Brien.

His eccentric performances delighted audiences and even as late as 2012, he was voted one of the six ‘Most Loved’ game show hosts of all time in the Guardian.

It is our absolute pleasure to announce his return to the role, as part of our project!

The obvious economic successes of companies like Punchdrunk, Secret Cinema and 2.8 Hours Later shows that the cultural landscape of London is moving more and more towards active theatrical experiences. The huge success of Escape the Room Games, now the top rated attractions in London, reveal to us a significant audience for live games.

Modern audiences want to do, not watch. More importantly, the most well represented audience demographic at these events is young professionals aged 25-35. This is a powerful demographic in London, with access to more disposable income. They are also the audience who will remember the Crystal Maze most fondly. Research by ‘UKGameshows.com’ has found that 40% of those audiences were 16 or younger when the show originally aired, meaning they would now be in their 30’s.

OPPORTUN I T YThere has been a cultural shift in audiences towards content that they can engage with in an active way; more and more we are finding audiences who want to experience, interact and play as opposed to watch. Nowhere is this shift more evident than in London, which in the last decade has seen a boom in innovative events.

This combination of trends towards active, player-based audience events and nostalgic content, not only make The Crystal Maze Live a viable option, but also quite possibly that best encapsulates the modern zeitgeist.

Nostalgia is a huge part of contemporary entertainment, we see this in the huge percentage of modern blockbusters that are reboots of classic movies, novels or comic books. With the Crystal Maze’s original audience now the same audience going to immersive events, the timing could not be better!

A U D I E N C E J O U R N E Y

1 ) E N T R A N C E : Audience members arrive at the new

custom designed venue.

2 ) F R O N T O F H O U S E :Ticket hall where audiences are greeted, coats and bags are put away and they are introduced to their

personal maze master.

3 ) P R E S E N TAT I O N B Y R I C H A R D O ’ B R I A N : A large screen in front of the dome

delivers a message from legendary

maze master Richard, who explains

the task ahead.

4 ) Z O N E S :Audiences travel and compete

through the maze!

5 ) C E L L S : Any contestants who fail their task are

taken to a cell, in which they have to

solve a riddle in order to be released.

6 ) C O N T E S TA N T S I N T H E D O M E : Once their travels through the maze

are complete, the contestants will

face off against the dome.

7 ) P R E S E N TAT I O N O F C R Y S TA L S :Audiences are given their

commemorative crystals.

8 ) B A R &V I E W I N G P L AT F O R M :Audiences can relax after the show

and discuss in the comfort of the

bar area, complete with viewing

stations at which you can watch other

teams who are currently progressing

through the maze.

C A S E S T U D I E S

Heist was an immersive theatrical experience created by differencEngine and Dean Rodgers, with the support of Theatre Delicatessen. Heist challenged audiences to plan and commit an audacious robbery. With no marketing budget, and only media coverage in online magazines Time Out, Le Cool and The Nudge, Heist managed to sell out in less than a day. The run was immediately extended to seven weeks at six nights a week; these tickets sold in less than two hours.

h e i s t

h e i s t

The demand for Heist tickets exponentially exceeded their supply. By the time the show closed it had run for six months to constantly sold out audiences. Each time tickets were released they would sell out in a matter of hours. This box office success clearly demonstrates the power of wish fulfilment that immersive experiences can generate.

Heist was also critically acclaimed, garnering positive reviews from mainstream and theatre press. It also received a nomination for an Off West End Award. This shows that the experience had not only mass appeal, but was pushing boundaries that impressed critics.

Secret Cinema recreate films for a live participatory audience. They have become synonymous with large audiences and astonishing levels of detail in set design, reproducing well known and well loved movies. Audiences are invited to walk through sets from the chosen films and meet and interact with all the characters.

The following figures clearly demonstrate the increasing appetite for high end, well produced interactive events:

Battle of Algiers(2011)

The Third Man(2012)

Prometheus(2013)

Back to the Future(2014)

14,000

20,000

25,000

65,000

s e c r e t

2 Months running time each apart from the latter which ran for a month.1 Year of sold out ticket sales at Crystal Maze would be

84,864.

c i n em a

p u n c hSince 2000, Punchdrunk, one of Britain’s foremost experimental theatre companies, has been working with stories and spaces of epic proportion. The company’s ability to merge mass spectacle with intimate audience experiences, and create large-scale installations on unconventional sites, has earned them widespread critical acclaim.

d r u n k

Within these highly detailed and atmospheric environments the audience are allowed to roam freely through the space and pursue individual narratives inside thematically holistic worlds. This blend of site-specific performance and participatory event offered a glimpse into the future of the field.

Sleep No More, Punchdrunk’s take on Macbeth created an unexpected sensation in New York. Initially scheduled for six weeks, it has been running for almost four years now, unheard of for an Off Broadway show from overseas, and also shows immersive theatre’s scalability abroad. The Drowned Man, Punchdrunk’s 2013/14 collaboration with the National theatre racked up 50,000 advance ticket sales. All this shows that new ventures and artistic integrity can be married to success.

Our primary target audience is young professionals. We intend to reach them through an engaging PR strategy. We will gain features in prominent publications read by this demographic, including: Time Out, The Nudge, Le Cool, The Evening Standard, etc. Each of these publications is willing and prepared to write a feature on The Crystal Maze Live.

Our secondary target audience is the corporate market. We intend to use the momentum of our initial ticket release to attract corporate bookings for entire days. We will provide a luxury corporate package at an increased rate. Our tertiary audience is tourists and students. Using our partners’ expertise we will be able to target large tourist groups from around the UK and abroad. Events such as these also have a history of garnering high TripAdvisor ratings. By the end of Year 1, we aim to be one of London’s highest rated attractions, adding huge longevity to the production.

t a r g e t

a u d i e n c e

t a r g e t

c om p e t i t i o n

Production Timeline:---Investment CompleteMarketing & PRSet BuildRehearsals & TestingGrand OpeningLondon RunBrand Expansion

Secret Cinema

£53

Average westend seat

£81.05

Average Competitor price

£63Crystal Maze Live

£50

Fawlty Towers Dining Experience

£57

Clue Quest

£22

Madame Tuasuards

£30

£127Book of Mormon

Punchdrunk

£74

I N V E S T M E N T M O D E L