The 12 days of NutcrackAR

News & Stories 17 Oct 2023

News Story

The image is of a hand holding a phone up to the main concourse in New Street station, which is dotted with members of the public. On the phone you can see the AR projection of Harlequin's box, a prop from The Nutcracker, apparently placed into the station space.

New this year as part of our pioneering Virtual Stage*, we have partnered with RiVR, a UK-based virtual reality company to bring a new look to a much-loved favourite.

The 12 Days of NutcrackAR is the world’s first Nutcracker-themed augmented reality walking trail around Birmingham, offering everyone the chance to look more closely at props and costumes from our famous production. Using a smart device such as a phone or tablet, you'll be able to see the Sugar Plum Fairy's tutu and its many hand-sewn pearls and sequins, the heavily embroidered coat of the Rat King and famous Christmas Tree on the back of which you can see graffiti from dancers and crew from over 30 years of shows! Content will be accessed through posters presented in various formats housing unique QR codes with AR content, descriptive text and voiceover.

Opening on 4 November at a special BRB Nutcracker-themed free event at Birmingham's Bullring, the NutcrackAR will be available there and at sites across the city centre for 12 days from Monday 6 November leading up to opening night of The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 17 November.

NutcrackAR sites across Birmingham until 17 November 2023

After the opening night of The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome, BRB’s NutcrackAR will also be accessible in and around Hippodrome Square so audiences leaving the ‘reality’ of a performance will be able to enjoy this ‘augmented reality’ for the duration of The Nutcracker season.

*Virtual Stage is a pioneering project featuring content developed in collaboration with Canon and RiVR funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator Programme.

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