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About

A unique immersive canvas for the world’s greatest creative minds.

Lightroom is both a world-class production house and a series of landmark venues. We conceive, produce and realise the next generation of immersive storytelling, occupying the space where the scale of cinema meets the spectacle of theatre meets the intimacy of a podcast to create shows that wrap audiences in original, authored narratives.

Working hand-in-hand with the greatest artistic talents across art, music, film, fashion, and science, Lightroom has reimagined what an immersive experience can be. Our approach allows creative work of all disciplines to be seen in a new light: offering artists a new way to tell their stories, and audiences a new way to engage with creative work, whether they are a lifelong fan or discovering a subject for the very first time.

People sit on the floor and benches in a large room with colourful, immersive digital art projected on the walls and floor. The main wall shows David Hockney painting a vibrant, abstract landscape.

The Creative Process

We believe in the power of working directly with artists. For each Lightroom production, we assemble world-class, cross-disciplinary teams, integrating specialists from filmmaking, theatrical design, animation, and spatial audio engineering.

Our internal research and development programme constantly pushes the boundaries of storytelling tech—utilising everything from revolutionary sound technology to high-fidelity projection mapping. This allows us to manage the entire lifecycle of a show, from the first script meeting to the global premiere, ensuring that the final experience is a faithful and powerful extension of the artist’s vision.

A man in a reflective vest sits next to an elderly person in a wheelchair holding a walking stick. They are indoors with equipment and vibrant green lights in the background.
Four astronauts in blue NASA jumpsuits laugh and talk with a man in black holding a book, inside a spacious, modern facility with aerospace displays in the background.

Our Shows So Far

David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller and further away) — Launched February 2023

Produced over a three-year collaborative period with David Hockney, this show redefined the genre. We developed a six-chapter narrative film that allows the audience to hear the pioneering British artist explain his process while standing inside his paintings. The resulting show feels less like an exhibition and more like a personal invitation from the artist.

David Hockney in a checked suit and flat cap stands with a walking stick in a room filled with vibrant, digital forest art projected on the walls and floor, creating an immersive woodland scene around him.

The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks — Launched December 2023

Co-written by Tom Hanks and Christopher Riley, this production transformed NASA’s Apollo archives into a cinematic event. We led the curation of thousands of hours of footage, commissioned an original orchestral score by Anne Nikitin, and created a narrative that bridges the gap between 20th-century history and the future of space exploration.

Tom Hanks stands in Lightroom with the walls displaying a lunar landscape. In the background, an astronaut walks on the lunar surface next to a lunar rover and some large boulders.

Vogue: Inventing The Runway — Launched November 2024

Working directly with Anna Wintour and the Vogue team, we translated the energy of the runway into a high-fashion immersive spectacle. Narrated by Cate Blanchett, the show utilises Vogue’s remarkable archive and contributor network to create an experience that brings together the industry’s leading voices from the past, present, and future.

 

Four people stand in a large, surreal room decorated with oversized paper flowers and plants. A woman in a white, elaborate dress with a long train and headdress appears elevated above the floor, blending with the floral background.

Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs — Launched July 2025

In a landmark partnership with Apple TV+ and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, Lightroom was responsible for the spatial adaptation of the global hit series. We reimagined award-winning visual effects for a four-wall environment, integrating Hans Zimmer’s score and Damien Lewis’ narration into a directed scientific spectacle.

Three people stand in a dark room, looking at a large, immersive screen showing a dinosaur swimming underwater with fish, creating a lifelike, interactive environment.

David Bowie: You Are Not Alone — Launched April 2026

Working closely with the David Bowie Estate, Lightroom has used iconic performances, rarely-seen interviews and never-before-exhibited material to create both a multimedia spectacle and an intimate and revealing self-portrait.

A person stands in a spotlight, looking at a large, colourful projection of five singers on stage, each dressed in distinctive costumes and poses, illuminated by a single overhead light.

The Flagship & Global Network

Our DNA is rooted in high-level theatrical and cinematic production. Lightroom was founded through a partnership between 59, a Journey studio and the London Theatre Company (The Bridge Theatre).

Our flagship London venue provides the flexibility to test new ideas in a live environment, share in-progress work with collaborators, and refine the technical delivery that we then export to our international partners. We offer a “Content Slate” of turnkey, world-class shows that have been proven in London and are ready for global distribution.

Our shows have played in 11 cities worldwide. Alongside our flagship venue in London’s King’s Cross, we currently have shows playing in venues across South Korea, China, the USA and in Europe via a major new partnership with Culturespaces. Through a mix of touring partnerships, new anchor sites and residences in prestigious cultural venues, our shows have been enjoyed by over 2 million visitors.

Lightroom Seoul Building Exterior
Two people stand in a dark room with blue underwater projections on the walls and floor, featuring a large, prehistoric marine reptile swimming above them. The space has benches and industrial pillars.
Exterior of the aranya art centre with large yellow banners promoting the David Hockney: Bigger & Closer exhibition, featuring a painting of a man in a suit and hat holding a walking stick.
A modern glass building with a large outdoor banner reading The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks, showing an astronaut on the moon. People are walking near the entrance. A sign says Self-Service Tickets.
People sit at outdoor tables under umbrellas in a modern plaza beside a tall building with “LIGHTROOM” in large red letters. A partly cloudy sky and another building with an angular roof are in the background.

A joint venture between 59 Studio and London Theatre Company, Lightroom was founded in 2023 by Nick Starr CBE and its current CEO, Richard Slaney. The company is backed by investors led by Sir Leonard Blavatnik, who is represented by Danny Cohen, President of Access Entertainment and Mike Sherwood, former co-CEO of Goldman Sachs International. Lightroom’s innovative show space in London, King’s Cross was designed by 59 Studio in collaboration with Haworth Tompkins.