100 Years of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in Audio of Course
Apr 05, 2013 19:06 BST 100 years of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in audio of course
Birmingham. How else to celebrate a century of theatre than in audio, spoken by actors? How else to live the history of the Repertory Theatre in Birmingham than by tracing its places and performances across the city from Station Street to Centenary Square, with imagineear's APpro in hand?
The Birmingham Rep’s history is rich and varied, and in 2013, 100 years old. Records of the company over this period tell a remarkable story of the writers, directors, designers, actors, photographers, wardrobe, set-builders, stage crew, administrators, critics and audiences who have made The REP what it is today. And this accumulation of todays is preserved by REP100, a partnership project between Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Birmingham Archives.
As part of the celebration, the REP100 audio tour tells the story of the REP and Sir Barry Jackson, taking people on a journey from Station Street to Stratford via Malvern and back to Broad Street. The audio segments are downloadable onto visitors' smartphones from the REP100 website via QR codes at each place the audio tour describes. The entire audio tour is also loaded onto imagineear's APpro players which are available to hire from The REP box office for use around Birmingham.
Ziv Kushnir, imagineear Founder and Commercial Director welcomed the project: "The REP100 audio tour is an excellent example of technology cross- over. The more ways we can get great audio stories into the hands of visitors the better. imagineear has a suite of technologies that we are able to put to work in theatres and concert halls, so we very much welcome this development". Benefits for visitors include uncovering hidden gems, discovering heritage, a fun and accessible framework for understanding and learning about theatre history, as well as the REP’s heritage and its role in contemporary theatre.
About REP100
The REP theatre archives tell a remarkable story of the many participants who have developed the REP over the last 100 years. A digital archive is central to REP100, a centenary project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and designed to help celebrate and share the theatre's heritage.
REP100 has four key themes designed to help you explore the rich history of Birmingham Repertory Theatre and navigate the archive materials. The Detail’s in the Design invites the visitor to explore the development of theatre design. Hidden Histories examines what really goes on behind the scenes of The REP. Drama Queens highlights the contribution of women to the REP’s story. And Station Street to Stratford via Malvern is the story of the founder Sir Barry Jackson’s role in the development of the company. Visitors track his progress from the Pilgrim Players in 1907 to the Old REP on Station Street which opened on 15 February 1913, then follow Jackson’s work at the RSC in Stratford, via the Malvern Festival to the New REP on Broad Street, which opened in 1971. It illustrates the influence he had on theatre throughout the country and how Birmingham was home to a real theatrical innovator.
For more information about REP100, please visit www.REP100.org
Contact
Jenny Smith Project Producer, REP100 [email protected] +44 121 245 2000
About imagineear
Enhancing Visitor Experiences imagineear is a young and dynamic full service interpretation company, offering multimedia tours to arts and sporting venues, cultural sites and visitor attractions around the world. We have a highly experienced team and are based in London, with regional headquarters in Singapore and Amsterdam. Offering stand-out value for money, we use our experience to drive innovation, and create additional revenue streams from rental and retail models, both on- and off-site.
For more information about imagineear, please visit www.imagineear.com
Contact
Andrew Nugée, Chief Executive [email protected] +44 (0)845 680 7770
Contacts
Andrew Nugée Press Contact Founder & Chief Executive [email protected] +44 (0) 845 680 7770