Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the internationally acclaimed and award-winning play, has partnered with Portal from Facebook to bring fans closer to the theatrical world of the production with the launch of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Curtain Call.
Portal is a video chatting device that comes equipped with Augmented Reality (AR) features as a fun way for friends and family to connect. See notes at the end of this release for more background.
The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Curtain Call experience allows users and up to three of their friends to transform into characters from the hit stage play and brings the production’s magic to life during Portal-to-Portal video calls using AR technology.
This first of its kind, fully digital experience enables fans to place themselves in three iconic Wizarding World locations – Hogwarts Great Hall, the Ministry of Magic, and the Edge of the Forbidden Forest, all based on the award-winning sets created by Christine Jones for the stage show. After donning one of the 12-character costumes (based on Katrina Lindsay’s award-winning designs for the show), they’ll be able to cast magical effects on one another and bring some the magic of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to life on their screens. Users familiar with the show will discover plenty of easter eggs and nods to elements of the story included throughout the experience.
In addition to Curtain Call, backgrounds of the three set locations can be used during video calls or videos can be shared using Portal’s Photo Booth app. Users that don’t have Portal can use Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook to interact with the same 12 character AR masks via each app’s camera and share video and photos via Stories.
This is the first time that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child show assets have been integrated into a large-scale partnership showcasing the play’s unique style of magic. This is also one of the first times Portal has connected user’s AR experiences across screens in a collaborative, multi-participant environment, where everyone can experience the AR effects simultaneously.
This unique activation allows fans of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to experience the magic of the play during a time when most productions remain dark due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The partnership showcases the expansion of the wizarding world storyline as seen in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and features some of the next generation of wizards, including Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy and Delphi Diggory.
The critically acclaimed production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child received its world premiere in July 2016 at the Palace Theatre in London. The most awarded new play in theatre history, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has won 24 major theatre awards in the UK and is the most awarded play in the history of the Olivier Awards, winning a record-breaking nine awards including Best New Play. The production has also won 25 major US awards with six Tony Awards including Best Play.
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany.
