INFiLED AR Series wows staff and audience alikeon Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tour

When Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory first delighted readers in 1964, few could have imagined the scale of theatrical spectacle it would inspire decades later.

Today, the Asia touring production, directed by Ma􀆩 Lenz, presented by Broadway International Group, brings Roald Dahl’s fantastical world to audiences across Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul and beyond.

Designing a production of this scale for an international tour presents a unique challenge. How do you preserve the visual magic and storytelling precision of a Broadway favourite while adapting to constantly changing venues, sightlines and technical constraints? For this global tour, the answer lay in reimagining the show’s visual language from the ground up, all centred around INFiLED’s AR Series LED panels. Earlier iterations of the production relied heavily on projection mapping and 9 mm pitch LED walls. While effective at the time, those technical limitations shaped the aesthetic in restrictive ways.

The production introduced 136 INFiLED AR Series panels, forming a 7.5 x 6 metre main LED back wall and two automated tracking sliders, each measuring 2.5 x 6 metres. The system is driven by Brompton Technology Tessera SX40 processors and Tessera XD data distribution units, ensuring consistent image processing and colour fidelity across varying environments.

The INFiLED AR Series (now upgraded to the ARmk2 Series) was selected for its fine 2.9 mm pixel pitch, lightweight cabinet design and flexible installation system. Panels can be stacked to big heights while retaining stability, curved up to 10 degrees and accessed from both front and rear for efficient maintenance. These are all essential attributes for an international touring production.

“The tour is designed as a fully selfcontained theatrical world,” says Drew Cipollone, Broadway Asia production stage manager and resident director. “It has to be capable of landing in vastly different venues without losing its magic or cohesion.”

“Creatively, the challenge we faced is that the panels needed to support dynamic, cinematic, and at times, surreal storytelling without overwhelming the core action onstage,” says Drew. “Practically, they had to be tour ready. They had to be reliable, flexible and efficient to install and maintain. The INFiLED AR2.9 achieves this balance, fulfilling both the artistic vision and the operational demands of this international tour.”

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