Visitors to Hof Theatre can now look forward to a digital upgrade to their cultural experience. A newly developed app from Hof University of Applied Sciences offers up-to-date information on the plays, in-depth background information and explanations of complex content. The app could be a particularly valuable support for theater fans whose native language is not German, as it provides scene summaries in different languages to accompany performances.
The innovative system is the result of a successful collaboration between Hof University of Applied Sciences and Theater Hof. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Sven Rill, computer science students developed the app as part of a student research project in the winter semester 2023/24.
Practical collaboration
The idea for the collaboration was born back in July 2023, when Lothar Krause, who was still the designated theater director at the time, contacted Prof. Rill to make the theater more attractive digitally. The framework conditions for the project were defined in several discussions. “The app was conceived from the outset as a practical student project – our students were in close contact with the theater,” explains Prof. Rill. And further:
“Our students not only acquired specialist skills here, but also gained valuable insights into the development process of complex software. The theater provided continuous feedback, which enabled the app to be further developed in a targeted manner.”
Prof. Dr. Sven Rill
Complete product launched
In the end, a functional prototype was created, which was successfully tested at Theater Hof. Particularly noteworthy: even after the end of the semester, some students continued to work privately and developed the app to market maturity (via the company AFT IT-Solutions). Today, the system runs as an independent product and could even be extended to other venues.
“This project impressively demonstrates how practically oriented our students are trained,” emphasizes Prof. Rill. “The close integration of theory and practice equips them perfectly for their future careers.”
The project could be implemented thanks to a generous donation of EUR 3000 from the ProHof e.V. civic association.
How to use the app
Theater Hof now benefits from a modern digital solution that takes the visitor experience to a new level and at the same time demonstrates the innovative strength of Hof University of Applied Sciences.
“We are delighted to be the first German-speaking theater to offer its own app to accompany performances.”
Lothar Krause, Director of Theater Hof
For selected productions, the free Theater Hof app provides the audience with up-to-date information during the performance about where they are in the plot, giving them a direct understanding of the action so that they can understand and enjoy the performance even better without prior knowledge.
The app is also available in various languages in order to offer all visitors an optimal stage experience. In addition to German, English, Ukrainian, Italian, Turkish, Korean and Czech are currently available. The intuitive operation enables smooth navigation. The use of the Theater Hof app is made possible by the generous support of ProHof.
The app can now be downloaded free of charge from the App Store and Google Play. Further information can be found at www.theater-hof.de/service/app
