The Outsider

The Outsider – Queen Elizabeth

It's always a pleasure returning to cruise ship scenery, particularly when the design challenges the conventions of what people expect to see onboard.

Working with Three Pin Productions, Clockwork Scenery was commissioned to fabricate the scenery for The Outsider, a devised production aboard Cunard's Queen Elizabeth. Designed by Kenneth MacLeod, the show featured a striking visual style that moved away from the more traditional cruise ship aesthetic, creating a contemporary and atmospheric stage environment that relied on strong scenic storytelling rather than sheer scale.

As is often the case with cruise ship productions, the scenery not only had to look great on stage but also be practical enough to be moved, stored and maintained within the operational constraints of a busy theatre at sea.

What We Built

  • Bespoke scenic crates

  • Scenic flattage

  • Custom truck bases

  • Serapid-compatible scenic trucks

  • Fibreglass feature tree

  • Scenic painting and finishing

  • Flocked scenic textures

  • Integrated pixel LED lighting

  • Printed back projection screen

  • Printed dance floor

  • Cruise ship installation and commissioning

Kenneth's design called for a collection of scenic crates, flattage and mobile scenic units that could quickly transform the stage throughout the performance. To achieve this, we manufactured a series of bespoke truck bases, including units designed to operate directly on the theatre's existing Serapid track system. This allowed scenery to move smoothly and accurately whilst maintaining the clean visual language of the production.

One of the standout features of the show was a large fibreglass tree that we transformed into a wisteria trunk through scenic painting, specialist finishing and flocking techniques. To add another layer of visual interest, pixel LED tape was integrated behind the structure, allowing the tree to subtly come to life throughout the performance. The lighting design by Dan Terry worked beautifully with the scenic elements, creating moments that felt both theatrical and organic.

The production was completed with a printed back projection screen and custom printed dance floor, helping to tie the various scenic elements together into a cohesive visual world. Whilst the design appeared deceptively simple, a significant amount of scenic fabrication, engineering and technical integration sat behind the finished result.

Manufactured in our Hampshire workshop, the project combined scenic carpentry, bespoke fabrication, scenic painting, fibreglass finishing and LED integration to create a practical and visually distinctive production package. The ability to balance aesthetics with the realities of storage, transportation and operation is something we encounter regularly when delivering scenery for cruise ships, theatres and touring productions.

The finished production has been extremely well received, proving that thoughtful design, strong scenic fabrication and clever technical integration can often have more impact than the largest set on stage.

Projects like The Outsider are exactly the sort of work we enjoy — combining scenic construction, bespoke fabrication, LED integration and theatrical craftsmanship to help bring ambitious creative ideas to life.