THG, a creative agency specialising in developing attractions for theme parks, museums and brands, is celebrating the success of the Priddy Family Foundation Freedom Theater at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, which was recognised by the Themed Entertainment Association at TEA INSPIRE 2025 and the Thea Awards Gala earlier this month.
See also: THG Creative collaborates with The National WWII Museum on new immersive theatre
The INSPIRE conference took place from 12 to 14 March at Universal City, California, and featured a panel discussion with members of the project team on 13 March.
The speakers, including Phil Hettema, CEO and founder, THG Creative; Colonel (Ret.) Peter Crean, VP of education and access, the National WWII Museum; Daren Ulmer, founder and creative executive, Mousetrappe; and Matthew Jordan Leeds, composer, discussed the project’s importance to the museum’s continuing strategic objectives, its production, and the innovative media employed.
Following the conference, the 31st annual Thea Award winners were celebrated in a gala on 15 March. The Freedom Theater was honoured with a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement, Museum Attraction. Hettema and Crean accepted the award on the project team’s behalf.
Crean says: “At the National WWII Museum, we’re very proud to receive the Thea Award for the Priddy Family Foundation Freedom Theater. In any creative process relationships matter, and I think our long collaboration with THG Creative and Mousetrappe brought out the best in all of us as we worked to bring this important story to life.
“The Freedom Theater tells the story of how freedom and democracy were under threat before and during WWII, how that generation fought to preserve them for us, and how they passed the responsibility to protect freedom on to all of us. We owe it to the WWII generation to get the story right and I’m proud to have worked with THG Creative and Mousetrappe to do so.”
Continued partnership
The Freedom Theater exemplifies THG Creative’s ability to produce deeply engaging visitor experiences using storytelling, interactivity, and technical innovation. It demonstrates the company’s dedication to making history relevant and emotionally resonant, cementing its position as a leader in experience design.
The project marks the end of a decade-long strategic initiative at the museum. This launched with the THG designed and produced theatrical experience Beyond All Boundaries, which received a Thea award in 2010.
The Freedom Theater opened in 2023 and marks the continuation of this partnership. The theatre experience immerses guests in the legacy of the Four Freedoms articulated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a powerful conclusion to the museum’s narrative arc.
A key feature of the project is its innovative rotating theatre design. This optimises audience throughput in a small footprint, and ensures an emotionally impactful and technically outstanding experience.
The THG team was responsible for the design and delivery of the project. By combining narrative, architecture, multimedia, and interactivity, the company has produced a captivating and historically significant guest experience.
The Freedom Theater has also been honoured with two MUSE Awards in Experiential & Immersive – Live Experiences and Interior Design – Cultural.
THG recently announced the promotion of Kate McConnell to senior creative director. McConnell has been telling stories in live spaces for more than two decades. Her portfolio includes work for organisations such as theatres, theme parks, museums, and cultural attractions, and brand centres for a client list that includes Warner Bros., Google, Lionsgate, Universal Studios, and more.
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