RIBA Journal's feature on Showtown shines a light on the design thinking behind our latest project, which opens today.

"The museum design team has done wonders with the interior of its part of the building," writes Pamela Buxton.

"Certainly it will be the engaging content of this 1,000m experiential museum that visitors will remember. Keen to ensure that Showtown strikes the right chord with Blackpool’s residents as well as with visitors, the Blackpool Museum Trust consulted 19,000 local people for their views on the museum – the first ever in the town."

"It’s not just about nostalgia and the stars of yesteryear, although there is, of course, some of that too. Instead, the key has been to tell the stories behind the show business the town is known for, taking a back-of-house approach rather than concentrating on the performances themselves." 

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"But first, Casson Mann had to get the visitors up and into the museum, courtesy of what they call their ‘yellow brick road moment’: a bright pink entrance staircase. Crowned by a HaHa Ha sign inspired by Tunnel of Love-style graphics, the staircase is accessorised by suspended deck chairs, sticks of rock and ice creams. Once inside the museum, visitors can enjoy a panoramic beach film montage of the massive variety of people who’ve help make Blackpool a show town over the years, shown across a 15m-wide digital screen on a 20-minute-long loop."

"There are then various sections about different aspects of entertainment, including magic shops, circuses, illuminations and ballroom dancing, each with its own identity and themed seating. Throughout, performers are shown talking about what they do and sharing some of the tricks of the trade – clowns and ringmasters for example suddenly appear in ‘magic’ dressing room mirrors, while in the magic shop, screens interspersed within the shelving come alive to show magicians reflecting on their tricks and experiences performing in Blackpool."

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"‘We felt that a behind-the-scenes look – going behind the curtains – would become the entertaining way we could tell people about entertainment,’ says Casson Mann project lead and director Gary Shelley. ‘There’s such rich material. There are some incredible stories in there, and it really grabs people,’ he says."

"The tone is distinctive. Rather than customary museum-style text, a radio and TV writer was brought in to develop a fresh, informal tone including verses and jokes, matched with suitably dynamic graphics such as custard pie splats. There are plenty of interactives where visitors can join in with the dancing or juggling. And in the illuminations area, visitors can design their own lighting sequences and see these projected."

"Locals have free admission to the museum and all visitors looking for a diverting break from inclement weather should be thoroughly entertained by the abundance of fun."

Read the full article here.