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New 4D effects theatre opens at Drayton Manor Theme Park for 2009 season

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A brand new 4D effects theatre made its official debut at Drayton Manor Theme Park on March 21 when the UK facility opened its gates for the start of the 2009 season.

Following a hugely successful 2008, Drayton Manor has once again invested significantly in new attractions and facilities for the coming year with the redevelopment of The Television Theatre, which houses the 4D effects theatre, and of the adjoining café and retail buildings in the Aerial Park section of the venue. Major refurbishment of several catering outlets elsewhere in the park has also been carried out to increase capacity in these and satisfy customer demand.

Supplied by UK company Simworx Ltd., which specialises in simulation attraction and effects theatres, the new, 152-seat theatre represents an investment of £1m by Drayton Manor. Accessed via a specially designed, Art Deco style entrance, guests move through the queue line and into a pre-show area where a nine minute film viewed on flat screens around the room plays out the arrival on the red carpet outside the theatre of a variety of ‘celebrities’ before introducing visitors to the venue and the attraction they are about to enjoy.

Guests are then ushered through to the theatre itself where the main film being shown during the season is the award winning pirate adventure, Curse of Skull Rock. Telling the story of the treacherous Captain Scabb and his unwitting crew in their search for the legendary lost treasure of Skull Rock, the 12-minute film provides ideal entertainment for the whole family in full HD 3D projection and is linked to a series of special effects throughout, including a 3D film, vibrating seats with seat drop (backwards), air blast, leg ticklers, water spray, low smoke, bubbles, aroma and special effects lighting.

A Halloween film and a Christmas movie are due to be shown at the appropriate times later in the year, with the new theatre also forming part of this year’s Christmas opening at Drayton Manor.

Commenting on the new attraction, Managing Director Colin Bryan said: “We are particularly pleased to have installed a new attraction with so much input from UK companies. Simworx is, of course, a local company, and Red Star, who produced the film, is UK based too. And the Art Deco design for the exterior and entrance to the building was carried out by Space Leisure, also UK based. It is yet another family attraction suitable for all ages and with good capacity.”

As well as the new 4D effects theatre, significant investment has also been made in Drayton Manor’s catering outlets, with over £500, 000 being invested in its restaurants and cafés. Newly opened is the 146-seater Chicken Diner, which replaces the Miner’s Diner, situated adjacent to the G-Force roller coaster, while the Buccaneer Burger Bar, located between Pirate Adventure and Excalibur – A Dragon’s Tale, has been completely refurbished and now seats up to 400 visitors both inside and out, making it the largest of the park’s five restaurants.

The Coffee Stop café next to the new 4D theatre has been fully refurbished in Art Deco styling and tripled in size to seat over 100 people, while as part of the refurbishment of the adjoining row of buildings, the Palladium and Haunting retail outlets have been combined into one large unit.

2009 will also see the addition of a new engine in Thomas Land, with Rosie from the popular Thomas and Friends series joining Thomas and Percy to provide train rides for guests, while in the same area the Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition will also be a new feature, in conjunction with brand owner HIT Entertainment.

New live entertainment offerings will also feature this year, with two or three shows per day for youngsters in Thomas Land and a variety of street entertainment throughout the day within the central area of the park. And finally, a Pay Dirt gemstone and fossil panning attraction is due to be added, which will provide a fun, interactive, hands on experience for guests.

For further information please contact:

Helen Pawley-Tuft, General Manager Central Services, Drayton Manor Theme Park
Tel. +44 (0) 1827 252400. Email helenpawley@draytonmanor.co.uk

Andrew Mellor, leisure industry media and PR, Drayton Manor Theme Park
Tel. +44 (0) 1743 872200. Email andrewfmellor@aol.com

See Also: Drayton Manor adds new 4D effects theatre and increases catering capacity for 2009
Winter opening proves a popular draw for visitors to Drayton Manor
Drayton Manor Theme Park celebrates one millionth Visitor

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