Plymouth premiers 360° nature experience

City will host Attenborough tribute

Plymouth’s state-of-the-art Market Hall will host the premiere of a new immersive experience to coincide with much-loved wildlife presenter Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.

And there will be a special preview for 100 members of the Devonport community to see it before anyone else.

Plymouth City Council’s cabinet member for culture has called it “an incredible coup for the city”.

The brand new dome version of ‘Our Story with David Attenborough’ will share his message of how important we all are in writing our planet’s next chapter.

The team from Plymouth’s Real Ideas Community Interest Company have collaborated with the award-winning production team at Bristol-based Open Planet Studios to rework the breathtaking Attenborough-led storytelling experience that combines cutting-edge animations and stunning projections, real-world footage and full 360° immersion.

The 50-minute-long cinematic piece features Sir David as he draws on his lifetime of exploration to tell this incredible tale of people and planet. 

Until now, a version of ‘Our Story’ has only been available at the Natural History Museum in London, where the show has been highly popular. However, from May 8, audiences will be able to witness the transformative piece in a powerful new way in Plymouth’s world-class Immersive Dome, the first-of-its-kind 360 dome in Europe.

The day before 100 residents from the surrounding Devonport neighbourhood will be invited to attend the very first showing of ‘Our Story’ outside of London in a preview screening, on the eve of Sir David Attenborough’s birthday.

And to mark the launch, Real Ideas is issuing a call-out to anyone in Plymouth or across Devon or Cornwall who also turns 100 on May 8 to be the official ribbon cutter.

Cllr Jemima Laing (Lab, Stoke), cabinet member for culture on Plymouth City Council said: “What an incredible coup for Plymouth and Real Ideas for our city to be the first place outside of London to get this extraordinary experience.

“This is going to be unforgettable and a unique chance for Plymouth to celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 100 extraordinary years on the planet.”

Sir David Attenborough said: “In this new immersive experience, we explore two stories – the 4-billion-year epic of the Earth, and our own, relatively brief chapter, the story of humankind. These two stories are not, at this moment, aligned – but they could be. My hope is that anyone visiting the ‘Our Story’ experience will come to understand how important humanity is in writing the planet’s next chapter.”

Lindsey Hall, chief executive of Real Ideas, said Plymouth was a city of innovation.. and the place so many voyages of discovery left from.

“It is very fitting that such an innovative experience that challenges us all to look after our planet opens here. And in doing so, marking 100 years of this legendary storyteller, hopefully with another centenarian in our midst, we will be collectively sharing a very special moment indeed.”

Tickets are available to book, starting at £17 for adults and £10.50 for children, from http://realideas.org/our-story

Residents in the streets surrounding the Market Hall in Devonport will receive an official invitation to register for the 100 spots at the special preview screening.  Attendance will be on a first-come-first-served basis.

Centenarians along with their carers and family members are encouraged to contact enquiries@realideas.org highlighting their birth date and keenness to be involved.