A TOTAL of 50 new jobs will be created when a new visitor attraction called The Vaults opens in the heart of Dublin city, in the historic John’s Lane area, in July 2018.
A €5m investment is being spent on converting the old Augustinian St John’s National School into what will be a state-of -the-art series of theatrical sets, with live actor-led performances aimed at a universal audience.
The show consists of thrilling special effects, dark humour, moments of pure fun and lots of audience participation. Just over half the jobs will be made up of actors, making the attraction Ireland’s largest employer of full time performing artists.
The other jobs will be roles for front of house, food and beverage, retail sales and merchandising assistants, technical specialists, makeup and wardrobe specialists.
The new tourism project is being developed by Frontier Entertainment, which is driven by former broadcaster and serial entrepreneur, Paul Blanchfield, and well-known producer and TV programme maker, Gerald Heffernan, with the creative involvement of playwright and screenwriter Peter Sheridan.
The Vaults will offer up to 30 shows per day depicting scenes and characters from 800 years of Ireland’s juiciest history. Each scene is played in a 360° theatrical set dressed with authentic props and a range of lighting, sound and special effects unique to each scene which will allow the actors to interact and involve themselves directly with the audience.
The new premium attraction will position itself in style and offering with the nearby Guinness Storehouse, Titanic Belfast and Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour in London.
Frontier Entertainment CEO Paul Blanchfield said: “Our aim is to quickly become the number one thing to do in Dublin with a theatrical attraction which will be a completely unique entertainment experience integrating actors with guests.
“Our research shows people want better experiences and more involvement and The Vaults entertainment model makes this happen in a big way.
“You will have a wonderful time with your friends and family and, in an increasingly distracted mobile device driven world, where adults want a more experiential, enjoyable and stimulating escapist experience.
“We’ve put together a team of highly skilled professionals in staging and set design to create for guests a stunning walk through journey of real and imagined events in Irish history with a twist.
“We are in a prime location to add to Dublin’s €2bn tourism and leisure offering where over 1.7m adults and families attended arts related events last year.”