Selected Projects

Original and IP-driven live entertainment.

From Broadway magic to Saudi-Arabian Disney castles, from Mexican lantern festivals to nighttime gardens in Miami. Productions developed and produced by Simon and Max Painter with partners including Cirque du Soleil, Disney, Lionsgate, Kilburn Live and Tim Lawson.

2025

Disney: The Castle

The first Disney castle ever built in the Middle East. A 90-minute immersive concert experience anchored by the iconic Disney castle as its centrepiece, with interactive musical activations spanning Lion King, Frozen, Encanto, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.

Premiered at Riyadh Season's Boulevard World to record attendance. Won Gold at the Eventex Awards 2025 in the Entertainment Event category. A global rollout follows.

Disney Concerts · Propeller Live · Balich Wonder Studio · Tim Lawson · SELA · Video: NEC
Forbes Disney Breaks New Ground With A Castle In Saudi Arabia
2012–present

The Illusionists

The biggest-selling magic show in Broadway history. Seven master illusionists each working a different discipline, combined into a single touring spectacle. Conceived as “Cirque du Soleil for magic.”

Premiered at Sydney Opera House in 2012 (sold out before opening night), since playing arenas and theatres in over 400 cities across 40 countries. Multiple Broadway seasons at the Marquis and Neil Simon Theatres.

The Works Entertainment (Cirque du Soleil) · Tim Lawson
Time Out New York The Illusionists review
2014–present

Cirque Le Noir

The dark side of cirque. An intimate theatrical circus production featuring aerialists, acrobats and contortionists drawn from international companies including Cirque du Soleil. The performers come from lineages of circus families, generations of practitioners.

International tours through the Middle East, North America and Asia, with a long-running residency at the Eldorado Theatre in Reno.

The Works Entertainment (Cirque du Soleil) · Tim Lawson
Al Arabiya Cirque le Noir promises an ‘intimate’ Dubai theatrical performance
2025–present

Now You See Me Live

Inspired by Lionsgate's Now You See Me film franchise (~$670M box office, fourth film in development). The stage version brings the Four Horsemen to live audiences with mind-bending illusions, sleight of hand and death-defying escapes.

World premiere at Sydney Opera House in late 2025, followed by tours to Brisbane, Perth, and Singapore's Marina Bay Sands. Designed to translate cinematic magic into something immediate and alive on stage.

Lionsgate · Base Entertainment Asia · Tim Lawson
BroadwayWorld NOW YOU SEE ME LIVE: Your jaw will hit the floor
2017–present

Circus 1903

The Golden Age of Circus. A theatrical adaptation of the 1903 American touring circus, with life-sized elephant puppets created by the puppeteers from the West End’s War Horse. Italian foot jugglers, contortionists, bicyclists, aerialists, and a ringmaster who carries the whole thing.

Played the West End, Broadway, North American tour and a residency at the Paris Las Vegas. Praised by the New York Times for offering “some thrills” in a smaller big top.

The Works Entertainment (Cirque du Soleil) · Tim Lawson · Puppets: the team behind War Horse
The New York Times Review: In ‘Circus 1903,’ a Littler Big Top Still Offers Some Thrills
2017

The Unbelievables

A 1920s New York supper club re-imagined as a touring variety show. Magicians, acrobats, aerialists, ballroom dancers, a four-piece show band, and a quick-change couple with four Guinness World Records, all wrangled by stand-up host Harrison Greenbaum.

World premiere at Sydney Opera House, December 2017, followed by Hamer Hall Melbourne and Crown Theatre Perth.

The Works Entertainment (Cirque du Soleil) · Tim Lawson
BroadwayWorld Review: The World Premiere Of THE UNBELIEVABLES at The Sydney Opera House
2014–present

The Illusionists 2.0

The sequel to the original Illusionists. Where the first showcased the masters, 2.0 introduced the future generation of magic with cutting-edge visual effects and 3D projections alongside traditional sleight of hand and mentalism.

Premiered in Australia 2014, then arena and theatrical tours across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, including Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace.

The Works Entertainment (Cirque du Soleil) · Tim Lawson
Gulf News Illusionists 2.0 to combine latest visual effects with illusion
2019–present

The Dr. Seuss Experience

An immersive walkthrough adaptation of the Dr. Seuss books. Each room captures a scene from the books with bold environments and tactile surfaces, sidestepping the moulded fibreglass look of typical brand activations. Truffula trees with real tactile tufts, Horton’s clovers, the works.

Premiered in Toronto to 175,000 visitors. Featured by TIME magazine as one of the world’s coolest places.

Producer: Kilburn Live · Dr. Seuss Enterprises · Photos: Vito Amati · Video: TODAY
TIME The Dr. Seuss Experience: World’s Greatest Places 2019
2018–present

The Nightgarden

Co-created in 2018 and now in its fifth year. Transforms Miami’s Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden into a multisensory nighttime feast of interactive art and entertainment. Features an interactive talking tree, Archie, who notably went viral rapping with Kanye West.

Featured in Vogue, Time Out, Yahoo and the Miami Herald. Toured internationally including Riyadh Season.

Producer: Kilburn Live · Venue: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden · Video: Sharon Sipple
Vogue The Nightgarden at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
2023–present

World of Barbie

The best-selling immersive Barbie experience. An open-world town square anchored by an ultra-stylish Dreamhouse, surrounded by interactive satellite activations.

Premiered in 2023 alongside Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film. Sold-out runs across North America with thousands of five-star reviews, plus a historic Middle East premiere at Riyadh Season.

Producer: Kilburn Live · Co-producer: IMG · Mattel · Render: Imaginer · Video: Reuters
World of Barbie World of Barbie
2019

Luminasia

A holiday-season city-centre spectacle in Monterrey, Mexico, set in Parque Fundidora’s Lago de las Olas. Two acres of waterside plus a circular island featuring an illuminated fairy castle that became a local social media sensation.

Three-week build phase, 55 Chinese artisans from Zigong, hundreds of giant illuminated sculptures. Drew 30,000 visitors per night, 700,000 total over the run. Covered by El Norte, Milenio and El Horizonte.

Producers: International Special Attractions · Cacao · Video: Airheads
El Norte Luminasia: gigante feria de luces en Monterrey