A new “augmented reality” app will allow children from across the world to stand inside Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in Southwark.
The free app, released to mark the Bard’s 451st birthday, lets users create a 3D version of the theatre in the palm of their hands and explore inside.
It is one of the first uses of the latest augmented reality technology for schools and the first app of its kind created by a theatre.
Patrick Spottiswoode, director of Globe Education, said: “Sam Wanamaker, the Globe’s founder, asked over and over again what we might do for the ‘child in Stornoway’ who was not necessarily going to be able to come to Shakespeare’s Globe in London. He would have loved the digital world and would love this app which allows students in Stornoway or Shenyang in China the opportunity to explore the Globe theatre for themselves in their homes or classrooms.”
Natalie Jim, drama curriculum leader at Sarah Bonnell school in Tower Hamlets, tried the app with her students. She said: “It definitely has the wow factor — the students are absolutely engaged and inspired by it. We’re very much about student-led learning and what’s lovely about Shakespeare’s Globe 360 is that they can take control of their learning; there’s no right or wrong, and they can explore it as they want to, at their own pace.”
The Shakespeare’s Globe 360 app is available from the Apple app store.
