Birmingham Post April 27 1998
A high-tech project to recreate some of the world's oldest and most famous theatres in virtual reality is being lead by a Midland university.
Warwick University is co-ordinating a £500,000 joint European project to "rebuild" 30 of Europe's most historic theatres - some of which are no longer in existence - on CD-ROM.
Three dimensional reconstructions of the theatres of Pompey, the Paris Opera, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, the Teatro Olympico at Vicenza in Italy and the ancient Greek theatres of Messene and Dionysus are all being recreated in the unique programme.
Headed by theatre history professor Richard Beacham, the project will enable people to understand the intricate details of the age-old theatres.
It produces 3-D images and allows users to experience elements such as time, space, acoustics and lighting.
Prof. Beacham said the project was at the leading edge of virtual reality and historical recreations.
"It actually allows the person to have the experience of being in a site. It shows it in all its glory, but you can also move around the sites to see all aspects," Prof. Beacham said.
"It's the nearest thing to having a time machine to take people back to these times.
Each theatre has been reconstructed using old diaries, drawings and site visits to inspect evidence left behind.
The project spawned from a joint interest between Britain and Europe in emphasising shared cultural resources.
"Europe's theatre scholars all know that the best way to understand a theatre complex is to visit the actual theatre. This can prove a little difficult if the building was destroyed 2,000 years previously,"said Prof. Beacham.
He said students, in particular, could compare theatres from all countries and centuries and see the cross-utilisation that took place.
But he said the resource, called "Ancient Theatre and its Legacy" and developed by Theatron, would also be available to the public.