New Online Shop Opens Up Early Access To Perthshire Themed Plays

A drama about flooding in Perth and two works by Perthshire playwright Bob Davidson are among the audio plays that audiences will be able to access through Perthshire Box Office’s new online shop – PBO Plus.

Developed in partnership between Perthshire Box Office and The Grey Hill, PBO Plus will launch on Friday 28 June with a series of new audio plays by emerging playwrights from across Scotland, as well as The Grey Hill’s new podcast Stories from the Grey Hill dedicated to supporting playwrights to develop new stage content digitally before bringing it to the stage.

Among the 12 audio plays available through the shop will be a live recording of Perth-based story Until The Sky Runs Out of Rain by Neil Bebber. Following warnings of an imminent catastrophic flood, everyone has been evacuated except for Elsie and Bert, who stubbornly decided to stay put. As the wind howls and the increasingly heavy rain batters the windows outside, they sit on their bed enjoying their “picnic at the end of the world” oblivious to the rapidly rising water levels downstairs. Two plays by Perthshire playwright Bob Davidson - Subcontract and Signature will also be available to enjoy.

Established by Perth Theatre and Concert Hall in 2023, Perthshire Box Office is an in-person, phone and online ticketing platform that offers event booking and promotion to community organisations across the region. The exclusive ticketing partner for Perth Museum and The Stone of Destiny, Perthshire Box Office also provides a booking and marketing service for many other community partners including BOOKMARK Blairgowrie Book Festival, UNESCO (Crafts and Folk Art), Perth Chamber Choir, Perth Choral Society, Chansons, Perthshire Society of Natural Science, Adventure Circus and Fair City Beer Festival.

The creation of the online shop broadens Perthshire Box Office’s commitment to increasing access to the arts by reaching out to those unable to visit events in person.

Barry Robertson, Founder and Director of The Grey Hill said:

“I am thrilled to announce our partnership with Perth Theatre and Concert Hall’s Perthshire Box Office to launch PBO Plus. We are excited that this will allow audiences to engage with an array of new theatre content at their convenience. Through their support of the store, audiences will also be championing their local theatre venue, the creators, and the wider talent present in Perthshire and beyond."

Kira Scott, Perthshire Box Office Project Manager said:

“Since formally launching with Perth Museum’s Unicorn exhibition in January this year, Perthshire Box Office has gone from strength to strength. One of our unique selling points is our ability to tailor packages to our partners’ requirements, with our team adding the personal touch to our digital offering through a dedicated phone line and ticket office, pop-up Box Office services, and individually designed sales and marketing packages. PBO Plus is an exciting new development that will allow us, and our community partners, to reach out to people who may not be able to visit venues in person, giving them the opportunity to discover new and exciting theatre works, before they reach the stage.”

The store will evolve to provide access to ebooks, audiobooks, and subscriptions with future plans including the potential to create audio performances of Perth Theatre productions ranging from one-person shows to multicast performances enabling audiences to participate in person or download and listen to the performances from wherever they are.

Director of Perth Theatre and Concert Hall, Christopher Glasgow will present the PBO Plus project alongside Barry Robertson and web developer Andrew Girvan from Scottie.io as part of a panel discussion at the Edinburgh Futures Institute’s Creative Tech Gathering Scotland 2024 at The University of Edinburgh’s Informatics Forum on 28 June.

 

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