50 Years Of History Revealed On New Royal Court Website

Monday 19 July 2010

50 Years Of History Revealed On New Royal Court Website

The Royal Court Theatre unveils a radically different new website today (Monday) – a complete creative and technical overhaul. The ground-breaking new features include a timeline detailing over 50 years of the theatre’s rich history and an interactive Google Map showcasing the Royal Court’s work across the globe.

The new site, created by digital agency Made Media, is designed to be an immersive experience, giving users different ways to discover and share an organisation that has produced so many of British Theatre’s defining moments.

As well as pivotal historic moments, such as the revoking of theatre censorship laws in 1968 and closing for extensive refurbishment in 1995, the Timeline highlights seminal plays in the theatre’s history, including reviews, cast and creative team details and production images. Featured shows include John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, Edward Bond’s Saved and My Name is Rachel Corrie.

The site also includes a detailed section on the Royal Court’s Artistic Directors past and present, a revitalised news and blogs section, social media integration, image galleries and video and audio content.

Kym Bartlett, Head of Communications at the Royal Court Theatre said:
“We are absolutely delighted with, and extremely proud of, our new website. It has some outstanding new functionality that really opens up the uniqueness of the Royal Court in a ground-breaking way – from the interactive map that showcases our work all over the world to the timeline representing over 50 years of the theatre’s rich and fascinating history, and so much more. Made Media have done a fantastic job developing the site alongside us over the past year.

“We are extremely grateful to Cadogan Estates whose generous support has enabled us to do this.”

Jake Grimley, Made Media Managing Director said:
“The Royal Court proved a fascinating client. They’re going through a particularly hot period at the moment, but they’ve been at the cutting edge for 50 years. I can’t think of another project we’ve worked on that has that unusual combination of cool and legacy. The more we got to know the theatre, the more we wanted to reflect the intimacy and warmth of the space. Our specially commissioned photography of the walls and textures in the building sits behind the content on every page.

“I’d like to think the Royal Court were attracted to our track record of fully-featured websites with attention to detail and user experience. But from the outset they made it clear that they wanted more. They needed the website to reflect the personality of the theatre. I think we’ve done that.”

The Royal Court’s new website can be viewed at www.royalcourttheatre.com

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(19/07/10)

For further information please contact Anna Evans in the Royal Court Press Office on
020 7565 5063 or e-mail annaevans@royalcourttheatre.com.

Notes to Editors:
The Royal Court would like to express its sincere thanks to Cadogan Estates, whose generous support has enabled us to undertake a major redevelopment of our website. Thanks to such a project-enabling contribution, we have been able to significantly improve our communication with visitors to this website and to anyone interested in the work of the Royal Court.