We were commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to produce a variety of digital interventions for the permanent exhibition, ‘The Play’s The Thing’. Housed between the Royal Shakespeare Company’s main auditorium and the intimate Swan Theatre, this wide-ranging AV and interactive multimedia exhibition celebrates a century of theatre-making in the town, and investigates the lasting impact of Shakespeare on theatre, language and culture.

Working in close collaboration with the RSC, we recreated two iconic performances from 1958 and 2000 productions of Romeo & Juliet, through the use of Victorian peppers ghost techniques. Using green screen technology, we filmed RSC actors in original costumes, performing scenes encapsulating approaches to theatre production and performance. We used carefully controlled lighting and reflection to transform the captured actors into miniature ‘3D’ peppers ghosts, ‘magically’ acting out their scenes within purpose-built physical theatre model boxes.

At the Director’s Desk, visitors can take a peek into a selection of projected notebooks, offering an insight into the creative processes of the Directors behind striking Shakespearean productions from the 1960s to the present day. Whilst the Costume Pod AR experience allows visitors to ‘try on’ iconic costumes and headwear worn by RSC actors, then capture photographs and email them to family and friends.

Shakespeare’s modern legacy is addressed with a large-scale AV that asks questions about the ongoing impact of Shakespeare, his stories and the language he used to tell them. The answers come from celebrities and the general public, from actors including Benedict Cumberbatch and Meera Syal, from loyal theatregoers, and from school kids encountering Shakespeare for the first time. Sympathetically and creatively edited for a multi-screen experience, their responses create a show that is frank, funny and engaging.