Young People’s Theatre, Zulu Alpha Kilo and Meta Canada Highlight the Power of Theatre on Children's Lives

The Covid-19 pandemic has had significant impact on the performing arts in this country. Canada’s largest professional theatre for young audiences, Young People’s Theatre (YPT), has partnered with Zulu Alpha Kilo and Meta to launch an innovative campaign using augmented reality (AR) technology to celebrate the positive impact theatre has on young people.

The ‘Star in AR’ campaign allows Canadians to use an interactive augmented reality experience with the children in their lives to showcase the invaluable lessons that children learn through theatre experiences.  

“We know there is no substitute for in-person theatre. But it’s wonderful that we have the technology to show children the benefits of theatre through AR,” says Brian Murray, executive creative director at Zulu Alpha Kilo.

The campaign is a result of a ‘Hack for Good’ event, a creative hackathon hosted by Meta bringing together Canadian creative talent and the Meta Creative Shop to support YPT by reminding Canadians of the value of theatre and arts education.

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Toronto-based ad agency Zulu Alpha Kilo created two unique AR effects telling the story of an ‘Alien’ who found their voice through theatre and a ‘Zebra’ who learned of new possibilities and discovered new worlds when watching a live performance. The immersive AR effects, aimed at parents and teachers to experience with children, allow someone to take centre stage as the characters themselves and experience the power of theatre.

“For a child, theatre has the potential to unlock their emotional, social, and intellectual development, which is a core belief of Young People’s Theatre,” says Liana Sanders, director of marketing at YPT.

Both ‘Alien’ and ‘Zebra’ effects will be accessible on YPT’s Instagram page under the effects tab.

"As an independent agency, we’ve been helping organizations of all sizes get through these difficult times,” says Zulu Alpha Kilo CCO and chairman, Zak Mroueh. “And we know first-hand how creativity can be a positive force to help solve big challenges.”

Short video ads on Instagram feature YPT’s core message that children can discover new possibilities at the theatre. The video ads leverage the design and features of the AR experiences and will drive audiences to the experience on Instagram.

Zulu Alpha Kilo is one of the first Canadian agencies being certified in the Meta Spark AR platform and were able to bring this “Hack for Good” idea to life with their own Zulubot team.