Opera and ballet fans will have the chance to experience the life of a stage manager in a new Royal Opera House computer game.
The venue has collaborated with game developer Hide and Seek on the app, The Show Must Go On, which has been designed for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Priced at 69p, it is available from Apple’s app store from today.
The app contains five games in which the player has to retrieve sheet music, assemble props, build the set, light the show and dress the chorus with only limited time before the curtain goes up. Tasks include keeping actors lit with a spotlight without running out of power and remembering the prop master’s instructions.
Director of Hide and Seek, Alex Fleetwood, said the five mini-games would “test your brains, your thumbs and your nerve”. Players can work on four shows – operas Carmen and the Marriage of Figaro and ballet productions of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. The soundtracks are provided by EMI Classics, and include performances by the likes of Simon Rattle and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. A range of sound effects for the game were captured at the Royal Opera House itself.
Animated ‘performances’ of the shows that the player has been working on can be watched after all five of the tasks have been completed. The success of the production, and the look of the props, costumes and set, will depend on the player’s performance in the game.
Tony Hall, ROH chief executive, said: “The creative industries play a very significant part in the UK economy – second only to finance – and the UK is renowned for its expertise in gaming. Our move into gaming and the bringing together of what may appear to be very different players within the creative industries is very exciting for me. It’s also a logical step for us as we increasingly develop our content available across multiple digital platforms.”
Another theatre app, We Will Rock You – The Game, is already available for iPhones. Players take the role of producer and the aim is to take the musical “from a small school hall right up to the real venue at London’s Dominion Theatre” by setting ticket prices, selling merchandise and co-ordinating the marketing strategy. Read More
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