ROOM 13 to Open at Battersea Arts Centre in October

Battersea Arts Centre has announced a theatre cast and creative team for the world premiere of Room 13, an Immersive Octopus and BAC Co-Production. This experiential horror is built around a fictional world rooted in the aftermath of the fire at Battersea Arts Centre over 10 years ago. Drawing on folklore, local paranormal cases and the supernatural, multi-award-winning director Tom Maller (Peaky Blinders: The Rise, Doctor Who: Time Fracture, The Paddington Bear Experience and Secret Cinema productions of Casino Royale, Blade Runner, and Romeo + Juliet) creates a spine-chilling experience that blurs the lines between local history and imagined unreality.

Room 13 runs from 16 October to 1 November, with press performances on the evening of Tuesday 20 October. The performances continue the London venue's experimental, boundary-pushing autumn season celebrating extraordinary new work from exceptional artists.

The production will be brought to life by two first-class immersive performers Megan Louise Wilson - Juniper and Jules (Pleasance); Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of) (UK Tour); Doctor Who: Time Fracture(Immersive Everywhere); and Pool (No Water) – Royal Court) and Jeffrey Mundell - Landship (official selection Raindance Film Festival 2026); The Good Ship Murder (Channel 5) and Blade Runner (Secret Cinema).

Room 13 is brought to Battersea Arts Centre by Director & Conceiver Tom Maller, Script Writer Bells Pendergast (Guardians of the Galaxy, Stranger Things - both Secret Cinema), Designer Christian Ellinasfor Niche Productions (The Traitors: Live Experience), Sound Designer Matt Farthing (Phantom Peak, Time Run, Sherlock: The Game Is Now), Lighting Designer Max Sharp (Lost Lending Library - Punchdrunk Enrichment), Costume Designer Anna Dixon, Production Manager Charlie Rayner for Niche Productions, Executive Producer Stephen-Patry-Makin, Producer & Game Designer Joe Mills, and Co-Game Designer Tristan Rogers.

In the days following the Battersea Arts Centre fire on Friday 13 March 2015, a team of builders uncovered a sealed chamber in the original stone structure. When they opened the chamber, what they found was so disturbing that the renovation came to an immediate halt.

11 years later, the door is unsealed once again. The door to Room 13…

You are summoned to meet the Circle of the Veil, a secret society of paranormal investigators, to uncover the truth behind a series of unexplained sinister encounters in the building. Discover the history before crossing the threshold into Room 13, where you'll work with your fellow investigators to solve its riddle—and face the darkness at its heart.

Room 13 is a theatrical experience that will shock, thrill and leave you breathless. With a combination of live performers, special effects and immersive design offering jump scares aplenty – Halloween at Battersea Arts Centre has never been more terrifying.

Director Tom Maller says, “At Immersive Octopus we tell stories that place the audience at the centre of the experience. We use performance, special effects and gameplay to transport you away from the real world. In Room 13 we do this on an intimate scale, blurring the lines between fact and fiction and inviting you to bravely take a step into the unknown.

I'm hugely excited to be working with a team of creatives and performers on this project who are the best at what they do - it's a really exciting group who are at the forefront of immersive practice - accomplished and high innovative.

It's also a privilege to be working with Battersea Arts Centre. As one of London's most atmospheric buildings, with a rich history to respond to, alongside a long tradition of supporting artists making unusual work, it is the perfect place to create a piece like this.”