Latest news with #JurassicWorld:TheExhibition
Nylon
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Nylon
Interview with Hendrick Ou, one of the brains behind Jurassic World: The Exhibition in Singapore
Behind every successful exhibition like the recently opened Jurassic World: The Exhibition in Singapore, is a dedicated team of individuals who are driven by the passion to craft immersive experiences and bring them to life. Image courtesy of NEON. While most of us would have found it daunting to give life to a beloved franchise like Jurassic World, NEON's Senior Project Manager, Hendrick Ou, tapped on his expertise to focus on ensuring anyone who walked through the exhibition's doors be filled with awe, curiosity, and nostalgia. Speaking with NYLON Singapore, Hendrick said, 'This allowed me to continuously bring fresh insights and experiences to make events like this Jurassic exhibition even better.' Together with his team, they considered the franchise's appeal across generations and how guests of different ages interact with spaces. 'Kids love movement and surprises, while adults may appreciate richer layers of storytelling and immersive tech,' he added, 'The goal was to ensure everyone could enjoy the exhibition in their own way, whether it's marvelling at an animatronic or reading the science behind the species.' Image courtesy of NEON. Even though Jurassic World: The Exhibition is an international exhibition that has made its rounds globally, its arrival in Singapore was a unique one as Hendrick and his team were able to localise it for the Singapore audience. 'Unlike our travelling sets, which rely on artificial foliage and controlled lighting to recreate the Jurassic World, the Cloud Forest provided a truly immersive, and authentic environment, where the presence of natural sunlight shifting throughout the day added an organic layer to the experience,' shared Hendrick. As such, the exhibition did away with a fixed linear storyline that was the core of the global exhibitions and instead took a 'different and celebratory approach' that saw the strategic placement of iconic dinosaurs throughout the Cloud Forest; allowing for guests to encounter them and creating unexpected, magical moments that felt organic. While this may have sounded simple on paper, the integration between the dinosaurs and the Cloud Forest was not without its challenges. Image courtesy of NEON. Hendrick explained that beyond the physical and logistical aspects, there was the creative challenge on how to integrate the IP meaningfully into the Cloud Forest. 'It required extensive collaboration between creative, technical, and horticultural teams to plan installations that respected and complemented the natural environment. It was about finding that sweet spot where creativity could coexist with nature.' This also meant choosing the right mix of dinosaurs since each dinosaur comes with its own set of logistical needs — considerations on how big is it, how much it moves, where it can be positioned safely, how it interacts with the existing environment; like the slope of height clearance in the Cloud Forest. 'We started with a long list and gradually narrowed it down based on impact, recognisability, and how well they fit within the physical terrain of the Cloud Forest,' said Hendrick, 'There were certainly some that didn't make the cut but that's all part of the creative process.' Image courtesy of NEON. Despite the challenges that were physically and mentally demanding, bringing Jurassic World: The Exhibition to life was a fulfilling experience for Hendrick, who thought of the challenges as a reminder on why the work he does is 'so rewarding' as he was a part of a team who were building something memorable for thousands to enjoy. 'Seeing the first batch of visitors interact with the exhibits, hearing the kids gasp or shout out the names of the dinosaurs — all the long nights and challenges we braved just melted away,' he said. 'There's a real sense of purpose and rewarding moments in seeing how your work touches people, and it reminds me how my role at NEON isn't just about creating an exhibition… We are creating lasting memories.' Image courtesy of NEON. One of this lasting memories, it seems, is Hendrick's favourite T-Rex animatronic from the exhibition. 'It's a real showstopper,' he explained, 'No matter how many times I see it, there's always this moment of awe and pride when it comes to life. From the scale to the movement to the timing of the lighting and sound, it's so well-choreographed that it almost feels alive!' At the end of the day, Hendrick hopes that visitors will leave the exhibition feeling a sense of wonder; bringing joy, sparking curiosity and creating memories with family or friends. 'That's what this career in NEON is all about. From creating experiences that connect people to igniting passions and inspiring imaginations as it is not just about dinosaurs, it is about the shaping precious moments for the people who experience them.'
West Australian
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Peppa Pig's Fun Day Out Live! touring to The Regal Theatre starring West Leederville WAAPA graduate Zoe Crisp
Peppa Pig's Fun Day Out Live! director and writer Richard Lewis likens the stage show's titular character as the Taylor Swift for children. West Leederville-raised, WA Academy of Performing Arts musical theatre graduate Zoe Crisp absolutely agrees, having taken on the role in the Australian production currently touring the nation. 'She truly is a celebrity for kids,' the 25-year-old, Melbourne-based performer says. 'It's such a joy playing Peppa. She's outspoken and she's got a bit of attitude on her, which I think is quite reflective of that age of being four years old and finding your voice. It's quite fun being able to play a four-year-old to an audience full of four-year-olds.' Having grown up watching Peppa Pig herself with her surf-loving twin brother Harry, Crisp says they easily connected with Peppa and George's sibling relationship. 'My brother was quite a shy child, and I was very outspoken,' Crisp, who attended John Curtin College of the Arts, explains. 'I think it's just so relatable for everyone. It focuses on everyday family life, and I think parents can relate to it, children can relate to it, it doesn't matter where you're from. It's very simple, lovely storytelling.' While the production does not include the youngest member joining the TV series' Peppa Pig family this year, which has been on our screens since 2004, it does feature exactly what it states in the show's title — a fun day out. 'We go to the zoo, we go to the beach, we see all sorts of animals, there's a dancing scarecrow and we jump in some puddles,' Crisp says. 'It's very interactive and essentially like watching an episode of the TV show where the kids go and do an activity, and then we bring the audience along with us.' The beloved characters are brought to life on stage through the art of puppetry, where the Pig family are moved around on wheels in front of their hidden puppeteers, including Crisp as Peppa. A great amount of physicality and technique is required as the puppeteers control their mouths while talking, Crisp spending a lot of time perfecting Peppa's voice. 'It's very high pitched because she's four years old, so there's lots of warming up, and we're essentially speak singing the whole show, because kids do kind of sing while they're speaking,' she says. 'It's a very singsongy voice. I recorded myself a lot leading up to the production, just to double-check I was sounding like the TV show.' Crisp landed the role after working on her first puppetry job last year, puppeteering baby dinosaurs in Universal Studios' Jurassic World: The Exhibition, before jumping into the less family-friendly musical, Avenue Q. 'It was all hand puppets, and the show ran for about a month, so I got a pretty good sense of puppeteering by the end,' she adds. Peppa Pig's Fun Day Out Live! is at The Regal Theatre, May 23 to 25. Tickets at
Perth Now
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Joy in playing Peppa Pig
Peppa Pig's Fun Day Out Live! director and writer Richard Lewis likens the stage show's titular character as the Taylor Swift for children. West Leederville-raised, WA Academy of Performing Arts musical theatre graduate Zoe Crisp absolutely agrees, having taken on the role in the Australian production currently touring the nation. 'She truly is a celebrity for kids,' the 25-year-old, Melbourne-based performer says. Your local paper, whenever you want it. 'It's such a joy playing Peppa. She's outspoken and she's got a bit of attitude on her, which I think is quite reflective of that age of being four years old and finding your voice. It's quite fun being able to play a four-year-old to an audience full of four-year-olds.' Having grown up watching Peppa Pig herself with her surf-loving twin brother Harry, Crisp says they easily connected with Peppa and George's sibling relationship. Zoe Crisp. Credit: Supplied 'My brother was quite a shy child, and I was very outspoken,' Crisp, who attended John Curtin College of the Arts, explains. 'I think it's just so relatable for everyone. It focuses on everyday family life, and I think parents can relate to it, children can relate to it, it doesn't matter where you're from. It's very simple, lovely storytelling.' While the production does not include the youngest member joining the TV series' Peppa Pig family this year, which has been on our screens since 2004, it does feature exactly what it states in the show's title — a fun day out. Zoe Crisp as Peppa and Jacqui Dwyer as George. Credit: Supplied 'We go to the zoo, we go to the beach, we see all sorts of animals, there's a dancing scarecrow and we jump in some puddles,' Crisp says. 'It's very interactive and essentially like watching an episode of the TV show where the kids go and do an activity, and then we bring the audience along with us.' The beloved characters are brought to life on stage through the art of puppetry, where the Pig family are moved around on wheels in front of their hidden puppeteers, including Crisp as Peppa. A great amount of physicality and technique is required as the puppeteers control their mouths while talking, Crisp spending a lot of time perfecting Peppa's voice. Zoe Crisp as Peppa and Jacqui Dwyer as George. Credit: Supplied 'It's very high pitched because she's four years old, so there's lots of warming up, and we're essentially speak singing the whole show, because kids do kind of sing while they're speaking,' she says. 'It's a very singsongy voice. I recorded myself a lot leading up to the production, just to double-check I was sounding like the TV show.' Crisp landed the role after working on her first puppetry job last year, puppeteering baby dinosaurs in Universal Studios' Jurassic World: The Exhibition, before jumping into the less family-friendly musical, Avenue Q. 'It was all hand puppets, and the show ran for about a month, so I got a pretty good sense of puppeteering by the end,' she adds. Peppa Pig's Fun Day Out Live! is at The Regal Theatre, May 23 to 25. Tickets at
Time Out
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Jurassic World: The Experience
This review is from 2022, when the show ran under the name Jurassic World: The Exhibition at ExCel London. It returns for 2025 in tweaked form at NEON in Battersea. It is an irrefutable law of nature that every London summer requires some sort of dinosaur-based family extravaganza or other, from the puppet fun of 'Dinosaur World Live' at the Open Air Theatre to the distinctly wobbly animatronic dinosaurs of last year's 'Jurassic Encounter'. 'Jurassic World: The Exhibition' has a distinct edge over most of the competition insofar as it's an official tie-in with the deathlessly popular Jurassic World/Park films. To be honest, though, this is a slightly double-edged sword: it's cool that we get encounters with 'Jurassic World' signature beasties Indominus Rex and Blue the Velociraptor. But a few pre-recorded appearances from the films' extensive casts – who've gamely contributed to various video game spin-offs – might have given it that little something extra. Or just a little more recognisable Jurassic Worldliness. The problem with being the 'official' live spin-off from a multibillion-dollar film franchise is that it raises expectations high for what is, ultimately, a solid mid-budget kids' show with average effects, containing a lot of very generic hallmarks of the summer dinosaur extravaganza (notably the classic baby dinosaur hand-puppets). It's still pretty diverting. A starting sequence where we're ushered on to a 'ferry' to visit Isla Nublar, the setting of the films, is a cute immersive touch. Efforts made throughout the show to cap guest numbers in any given area at any given time are skilfully done and much appreciated. And the concluding double whammy of the Indominus Rex and the T-rex is pretty pulse-raising in terms of big scary animatronics. But not everything hits the mark. There's a very weird scene in which a performer badly lip syncs to a commentary on Blue the raptor's training regime; why he couldn't deliver the lines himself I have no idea, but it's pretty embarrassing, not least because Blue is performed by a sluggish, rubbery puppet that moves with the grace of a pantomime horse with a gammy hoof. It doesn't sink it, but the whole point of the franchise ever since Steven Speilberg launched it in 1993 is that the dinosaurs look good, and that certainly can't be said across the board here
