Bristol’s Old Vic is apparently the oldest working theatre in the UK (The Globe is of course, a modern reproduction). This year it will celebrate its 250th anniversary. As part of that they are doing a lot of historical work, and today the folks at Bristol 24/7 revealed one of the cool things that will happen.

Back in the 18th Century, there were no sound systems in theatres. You could have an orchestra, or people could make noises on stage, or backstage. But what happened if you really wanted to wow the audience? Obviously an 18th Century play wasn’t going to involve a Imperial Star Destroyer flying overhead, but it might involve a thunder storm, or simply wish to indicate that Thor is having a bad day. Should that sort of sound effect be required, the Old Vic was prepared.

The theatre has something called a “thunder run”, a series of wooden tunnels up in the roof along which a collection of different sized balls can be rolled. The overall effect for the audience down below is a very convincing rumble in the skies. The Old Vic plans to resurrect this system, which hasn’t been used since the 1940s, and use it in some modern plays. I hope it works, and that it turns out to be LOUD!