The show exemplifies the power of combining advanced technology with artistic storytelling.
This real-size horse hologram became a major talking point, representing a technical and artistic challenge that had never been attempted at this scale in a live theatrical setting. The production’s success was built around the seamless integration of cutting-edge technology into a Victorian aesthetic, ensuring the holography remained immersive without disrupting the historical feel of the show.
The project was developed over two years, involving a global team of acclaimed artists and designers, and was staged at the Teatros del Canal in Madrid, with significant involvement from the Royal Saudi family as patrons.
The Last Horseman was a landmark musical production created by Andrés Vicente Gómez, premiering at the Teatros del Canal in Madrid in December 2012. ex1t.one was involved from the very beginning, responsible for the complete visual effects design across the entire production — from the opening scene to the final curtain.
The show incorporated a range of cinematic visual techniques that had never previously been attempted together in a live theatrical setting at this scale. At the centre of everything was a life-size horse illusion created using the Pepper’s Ghost technique — the production’s defining visual moment — but the full scope of the work extended across multiple visual systems operating simultaneously throughout the performance: 3D-designed visual elements, large-scale animated projection mapping of a Victorian city environment, and a multi-plane stage architecture that created genuine depth and immersion for audiences throughout the Teatros del Canal’s main auditorium.
The last horseman
The last horseman
The last horseman
The Life-Size Horse Hologram: Filmed in Riyadh, Performed in Madrid
The centrepiece of The Last Horseman’s visual design was a life-size horse illusion created using the Pepper’s Ghost technique – a technical and artistic achievement that had never been attempted at this scale in live theatre before.
Pepper’s Ghost works by reflecting an image off a large, angled, transparent screen, creating the perception of a three-dimensional figure occupying the same physical space as live performers on stage. To create source footage with the physical credibility the production demanded, a real Arabian horse was filmed in Riyadh against a purpose-built 30×8 metre chroma wall. This captured authentic equine movement – galloping, rearing, turning – with the weight, muscle, and energy that no 3D animation could have replicated convincingly at life scale.
On stage at the Teatros del Canal, the holographic horse appeared and disappeared via a mechanism designed specifically for this musical – retractable, seamlessly integrated into the production design, and operable without interrupting the flow of scenes. Actors performed alongside the hologram in real time, their movements choreographed in direct relationship to the horse’s actions, creating the illusion of genuine physical interaction between living performers and a digital animal. For audiences in the auditorium, the effect was visceral and unprecedented.
Full Visual Effects Design: Holograms, Mapping and a Multi-Plane Stage Architecture
Beyond the horse hologram, ex1t.one designed and delivered the complete visual effects package for The Last Horseman — a system operating across multiple planes simultaneously throughout the production.
Additional holograms designed entirely in 3D complemented the filmed horse, extending the holographic language of the show to characters, objects, and atmospheric elements that served the narrative at key dramatic moments. Large-scale animated projection mapping brought a Victorian city environment to life across the rear of the stage, creating a living backdrop of extraordinary depth and detail that transformed the physical set architecture into a fully immersive environment. The combination of front gauze atmospheric projection, mid-stage holographic elements, and rear-projection city mapping created a layered visual world of a kind that audiences at Teatros del Canal had not previously encountered.
Every element of this multi-plane system was designed to coexist coherently — tonally, aesthetically, and technically — within the Victorian period setting of the production. The visual effects served the story rather than announcing themselves, which is the defining characteristic of exceptional stage visual design.
A Victorian World Built Through Technology: Design and Aesthetic Integration
The central design challenge of The Last Horseman was not technical complexity but aesthetic integration. The production’s visual language was rooted in Victorian theatrical tradition — ornate, warm, and historically specific — and every piece of digital visual content had to feel entirely at home within that world.
The animated city mapping was designed as a living Victorian environment: gas-lit streets, period architecture, atmospheric weather effects and the movement of the city’s inhabitants animated in a style consistent with the production’s overall aesthetic. The holograms — both the filmed horse and the 3D-designed elements — were rendered and colour-graded to feel of a piece with the physical set, the costume design, and the lighting rig rather than as modern intrusions into a period world.
This level of aesthetic sensitivity, applied consistently across a complex multi-system visual production, is what distinguished The Last Horseman from the many large-scale stage productions that deploy technology impressively but not invisibly. The technology disappeared into the story, which is exactly where it belonged.
- Goals:
◦ Design and implement a life-size hologram of the legendary horse that interacts seamlessly with live actors, offering a magical yet realistic experience.
◦ Integrate cutting-edge technology into a Victorian-era set design without disrupting the historical aesthetics.
◦ Collaborate with renowned artists, designers, and composers to maintain a cohesive visual and narrative experience. - Production:
◦ Developed a retractable 12-meter holographic screen, creating the illusion of a real horse galloping, rearing, and interacting with actors in real time.
◦ Multi-Plane visual content:
• Front Gauze Projection: For atmospheric effects.
• Mid-Stage Holographic Plane: For the life-size horse.
• Rear Projection Screen: Integrated into Victorian arches to provide depth and fantasy world visuals.
◦ Combined visuals with classical soundtracks to create an emotional and sensory-rich environment. - Results:
◦ Content interaction with actors and realistic movements created a visceral and memorable audience experience.
◦ Praised by audiences and media for its innovative use of technology and cohesive storytelling
◦ Set a new benchmark for theatrical productions by merging cutting-edge visuals with traditional narratives.
Premiere at Teatros del Canal, Madrid: A Global Creative Collaboration
The Last Horseman premiered at the Teatros del Canal in Madrid in December 2012, with significant personalities from Saudi Arabia and Spain in attendance on opening night. The production had been in development for two years prior to its premiere, bringing together a global team of artists, designers, composers, and technical specialists under the creative direction of producer Andrés Vicente Gómez.
The Saudi dimension of the production — its patronage, the filming of the Arabian horse in Riyadh, the attendance of significant figures from the Kingdom at the opening — reflected the international ambition and reach of the project. The Last Horseman was conceived as a statement about what live theatrical production could achieve when creative vision and technical capability were brought together without compromise.
The production ran between 2011 and 2013 and received widespread praise from audiences and media for its innovative use of visual technology and the coherence of its storytelling. It set a benchmark for large-scale theatrical visual design in Spain and beyond that subsequent productions have continued to reference.
Related Stage and Large-Scale Visual Productions
Explore more stage and large-scale visual productions from ex1t.one:
- InGoya Immersive Exhibition – Ultra-high-resolution immersive art experience featuring 200+ works by Francisco de Goya
- Hexagon 270° Immersive Theatre – Real-time interactive showroom experience in the Netherlands
- Royal Ascot Sun-path – Sun-synchronised 35-metre LED installation for a heritage sporting event
ex1t.one’s Approach to Stage Visual Production
ex1t.one designs and delivers complete visual production systems for theatrical and live performance contexts – from individual holographic elements to full multi-plane stage environments. The Last Horseman remains one of the most ambitious and technically complex projects in our portfolio, and a demonstration of what is possible when visual technology is fully placedin service of narrative from the very beginning of the creative process.
Our approach to stage visual production begins with the story, not the technology. Every system we design – projection, holography, mapping, real-time rendering – is developed in response to the specific dramatic and aesthetic requirements of the production, not imported from a standard toolkit. This is what allows our work to feel integrated rather than applied, and it is the principle that has guided every stage project we have undertaken.
For further context on the development of holography and projection mapping in contemporary theatre, visit the Association of British Theatre Technicians resource library.