Audiences of “Cursed Child” Broadway to Experience Augmented Reality Showbill Cover

Those who are heading to watch Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Lyric Theatre are in for an enchanting treat. For the very first time, you will be able to bring the magic to life with an augmented reality showbill cover.

So how exactly does it work? Inside every showbill at Broadway’s Cursed Child, you’ll find a QR code to scan on your phone. Once it has been scanned, the cover of your showbill will come to life, with gleaming spells being cast like lightning across the page.

 

Step by step guide explaining how the showbill at Broadway's "Cursed Child" comes to life

Step-by-step guide explaining how the showbill at Broadway’s “Cursed Child” comes to life

 

It’s another step into the magical world of Harry Potter that’s sure to make audiences feel even more immersed in the Wizarding World experience. It will make audiences feel like they’ve stepped into the corridors of Hogwarts, which has walls filled with moving portraits and paintings, as seen throughout the Harry Potter film series.

The augmented showbill cover was created by Preferred Marketing Group, a Chicago-based company, and this is the first time a Broadway show has used the augmented reality feature for any of its showbills.

Earlier this year, there was a Cursed Child showbill cover art contest in celebration of this year’s Back to Hogwarts. Fans were encouraged to submit their original artwork, with the winner having their work featured on the Broadway showbill cover throughout September. If you’re heading to the Lyric Theatre this September, be sure to keep an eye out for the winning artwork.

In other Cursed Child news, the North American tour announced its cast in June and is prepping to begin touring at the end of September. Previews are taking place on September 10 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, Chicago, and the official opening takes place there on September 26. The Chicago leg of the tour is running until February 1, 2025, until it moves on to Los Angeles, then Washington D.C.  

Press Release

Bring the Magic to Life in Your Own Hands!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Announces Augmented Reality Showbill Cover
In a First-Ever Experience for Broadway Audiences

(New York, NY – August 12, 2024) Since Harry Potter and the Cursed Child first debuted on Broadway over 6 years ago, audiences have been spellbound by the magic they’ve seen unfold both on stage and throughout the Lyric Theatre in various unique installations. Now, audiences can see that magic come to life in their own hands as the show announces the release of an augmented reality Showbill cover.

Inside every Showbill at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, fans will find a QR code printed that they can easily scan with their smart phones. With the application initiated, they will be able to watch in amazement as the Showbill cover comes alive with a vibrant animation.

This is the first time ever that augmented reality has been used to bring a Showbill or Playbill cover to life for Broadway audiences. The Chicago-based company Preferred Marketing Group (www.preferredmarketinggroup.com) was the immersive technology partner the production used to create this one-of-a-kind experience.

Tickets are available to purchase at www.HarryPotterBroadway.com, by calling (855) 551-9777 and in person at the Lyric Theatre box office (214 W. 43rd St., New York, NY 10036).

More About Harry Potter and the Cursed Child:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the first Harry Potter story to be presented on stage and the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, has sold over 10 million tickets worldwide since its world premiere in London in July 2016 and holds a record 60 major honors, with nine Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play and six Tony Awards including Best Play. The international phenomenon has cast its spell worldwide with productions currently running in London, New York, Hamburg, and Tokyo. A North American tour launches in Chicago in September 2024.

The most successful non-musical play in Broadway history, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has the unique distinction of being named by the Guinness World Records as the highest-grossing non-musical play in Broadway history with over $330 million total sales and over 2.583 million tickets sold. It’s also now the 5th longest running play in Broadway history.

Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child features movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe. US Casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions.

It’s time to believe in magic again. When Harry Potter’s headstrong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all - with the power to change the past and future forever. Prepare for a mind-blowing race through time, spectacular spells, and an epic battle, all brought to life with the most astonishing theatrical magic ever seen on stage. “You’ll be wondering ‘how’d they do that?’ for days to come” (People Magazine).

Grace Hurley

I'm an animal-loving Ravenclaw with a Masters Degree in Writing and a passion for the Harry Potter universe since the age of five.