Panasonic brings immersive projection to life in Paddington: The Musical

Panasonic’s RQ35 and RQ25 projectors bring quiet, high-brightness 4K projection for seamless scenic storytelling in a historic London theatre.

Photo Credits: Johan Persson

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Client: Stage Sound Services

Location: London

Product(s) supplied: PT-RQ35K2 PT-RQ25K

Challenge

One of the latest additions to London’s glamourous West End, Paddington: The Musical set out to deliver a richly immersive theatrical experience, bringing the beloved character’s world to life through detailed scenic environments. However, achieving this within a historic London theatre presented significant challenges.

Solution

The production required full scenic video coverage across multiple architectural surfaces, including moving and flown set pieces while ensuring that projection technology remained invisible. Any seen equipment, noise, or compromised sightlines would immediately break audience immersion.

Simultaneously, the system had to withstand the stringent realities of live theatre: tight rehearsal schedules, overnight maintenance windows, and the expectation of flawless performance in every show.

A Collaborative Solution

Working with Dan Trenchard (Video Supervisor) and Ash J Woodward (Video Design & Animation) Panasonic projectors were selected to deliver the required brightness, colour fidelity, and reliability without compromising the space’s aesthetic integrity.

A combination of Panasonic RQ35 and RQ25 series projectors was integrated into the venue, supplied by Stage Sound Services. The solution balanced high-output performance with compact form factors and quiet operation, enabling projectors to be positioned front-of-house and above the audience without drawing attention. The projectors were complimented by a dedicated LED display, a rare hybrid approach requiring precise planning and tuning.

The result was a projection system capable of delivering large-scale scenic imagery that blended seamlessly into the physical set, supporting the narrative rather than competing with it.

"We strive for absolute perfection, and that’s what keeps us on our toes, so, there is no concern about investing in Panasonic for a show like this – the reliability speaks for itself "

Bringing Paddington to life onstage

Ash J Woodward envisioned projection that would enhance the unique production style, where video was treated from the beginning as a core storytelling tool rather than a mere decorative layer. “Video is always in service of the story,” he explained. “It needs narrative importance, but also the capacity to open up the world of the production when scale and spectacle are required.” Projection was designed to integrate seamlessly with physical scenery, enhancing everything from bookshelves and architectural details to museum-inspired environments without ever resembling a traditional video surface.

Trenchard played a key role in translating this vision into a practical system. “We want the video content to be the brightest, best-looking we’ve ever had — but it must never look like video,” he said. “And when the projection is not in use, we don’t want anybody to know it’s there; a lot of that comes from hiding the actual units.”

This philosophy shaped every technical decision, ensuring projected imagery behaved more like light and texture than a conventional screen. Impressed by the quality, the lighting team even built the projectors directly into the show’s lighting schemes — historically a rare move that demonstrates the unique power and range of the units.

Why Projection — and why Panasonic?

While LED technology was located at the back of the set, projection was used at scale to extend and reshape the production’s world. Large-scale projection enabled complete stage transformations, wrapping imagery around the architecture and reaching into the auditorium, while also allowing for subtlety in how the set was revealed. Rather than replacing physical scenery, projection sat in conversation with it, enhancing texture and depth while allowing the set to remain tangible. “We’re not there to replace the set,” says Trenchard. “We’re there to enhance it and move it through the narrative.”

Panasonic projectors were specified early, driven by long-term familiarity, confidence in performance, and a proven track record. “We went straight to Panasonic on this one,” Trenchard notes. “Once those projectors are installed, they need to stay there — and they need to work.”

The creative teams were particularly pleased with the Panasonic’s emphasis on reducing projector noise, citing it as a critical factor for the experience and expressing excitement for future noise-reduction innovations.

Engineering immersion inside a historic theatre

Installing high-brightness projection in a Victorian-era theatre introduced additional constraints around space, weight, and noise. Projectors positioned at front-of-house, both in and around the audience, required careful consideration of sightlines and acoustic impact.

Custom acoustic enclosures helped minimize distraction, with housings colour-matched to blend with the historic architecture. In some locations, projectors were integrated among lighting fixtures to reduce visual impact. “People want the projectors,” Trenchard says, “but they never want to hear them.”

This required balancing silence with unobstructed views to ensure the best possible audience experience.

“We’re very lucky on Paddington to have several musical numbers completely dedicated to video, which is not always the case. There are numbers which are a single principal on stage and complete projection coverage over the entire set. It’s sort of unapologetically video, which is really nice.”

"For us, Panasonic simply means one less thing to worry about!"

Built for live performance, night after night

Live theatre leaves no margin for technical failure. With tightly packed schedules, reliability was non-negotiable for the Paddington team.

Panasonic’s stable performance, combined with a simplified signal chain using direct fibre connections via SDM slots, reduced potential points of failure — a particular advantage for projectors housed within acoustic enclosures. “By going straight into the projector, we removed so many points of failure,” Trenchard said.

The result was a trusted, consistent system which allowed the technical team to focus on the show itself rather than troubleshooting.

The theme of trust and reliance is central to James Paul, Head of Video at Stage Sound Services, who helped deploy the technology.

"As soon as a project like this comes up, we already know what we’re going to use"

Audience impact and creative payoff

Several musical numbers in Paddington: The Musical are built almost entirely around video, placing projection at the forefront. In many cases, audiences are unaware they are watching projection, often mistaking it for conventional stage lighting.

For the creative and technical teams, the production’s success represents a professional milestone and validates years of collaboration. It demonstrates what happens when the arts marry the human touch to world-class technology.

“It’s one of the shows I’m most proud of in my career,” Trenchard said simply. “We came in and worked hard, using everything we’ve learned over the past ten years, to create something special. The fact that the audience love it, and we’ve had such wonderful reviews — well, that’s icing on the cake.”

"People regularly say they loved the lighting as they are leaving. Actually, the light they’re talking about is projection"

Panasonic brings immersive projection to life in Paddington: The Musical

Challenge

Solution

A Collaborative Solution

Bringing Paddington to life onstage

Why Projection — and why Panasonic?

Engineering immersion inside a historic theatre

Built for live performance, night after night

Audience impact and creative payoff

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