“The Theatre, Film and Television industries are changing rapidly.  We’re seeing more cross-platform, cross-industry projects, creative people moving between the industries, and the integration of digital media.  The lines are blurring, and those that are launching projects and organisations need a network which addresses these challenges and opportunities.”

As you may know Stellar Network is managed by a volunteer committee.  Going forward, the network will be less managed, and more community driven. Not because we want to do less work, but because we think you’ll get more out of it that way. Our responsibility is to provide  reason and reward for you shaping the network: from telling us what event content you would like, through to your thoughts on membership..

Whilst our event programme is open to everyone and anyone who wants to come, from here on out, we’re offering event content and membership specifically to actors, writers, producers and directors.  So if that’s your role in theatre, film, television or digital media, this network is for you.

We’ve also made it easier for you to just come to individual events.  Events will be relevant to all industries and job titles and a dynamic online tagging system will signpost content, target industries and job roles, so you can make informed decisions.  We’re also creating a way on the site for you to tell us what content you want to see in each event, to be launched soon.

We’ve streamlined our membership offer. We’re offering less, but of a higher quality. Becoming a Node Member gets you the event programme for free, as well as a range of other benefits. Once you’re a Node Member, the next step is Hub Membership; a playful and dynamic hub of activity which rewards real engagement with real benefits. Hidden doors to Hub Membership will be opened to particularly active Node Members in response to their creative and professional needs.

Scratch Interact is the latest venture by our very own Stellarite Sam Howey Nunn

Last week I went to Scratch Interact, a night of treats curated very properly by the lovely Glue Theatre in the in-between spaces of Southwark Playhouse.

Glue’s opener delivered a box that wriggled out a man who then – having failed beautifully to gather attention from the pre-show crowd – managed to get presents and sweets from many.

Deborah Pearson’s Break Up With Me invited you into a toilet cubicle with her to do just that, however you chose, delicately responsive to its own conceptual knots, beautifully poised.

‘The Minuting Hill Carnival’, a minute version of Notting Hill’s, refereed by a representative of the Honourable Society of Faster Craftswomen, who before she sold me a nugget of jerk chicken on a cocktail stick, made a joyful band of us playing tiny instruments. Gorgeous how just as much glee came from playing it tiny, it was the play that counted. Lovely and messy.

Emer O’Connor then delivered a piece of storytelling, at first staged and delivered to the back walls. Perfectly good performance but not at all responsive to us or the space, and her volume inevitably causing alarm to the theatre staff worried about the ‘main show’. As soon as we moved in closer so she was actually performing to us in the space with her, it suddenly came alive. Which raises very interesting points for me about liveness and scalability.

Emily Smallwood took a pair of us into the disabled toilet. One was sat down on a white towel and asked to listen through headphones to a recording of a story. The lights were then turned off. The other then shared an embrace with her in the corner. Then the lights back on, one was asked to record a story while the other listened, very close. This piece worried me and it’s still with me. I loved her assurance in the disjuncture of these elements, the light and darkness, the very living intimacy of the exchanges and near brutality in heightened awareness of the other people in the room. Fantastic sensibility.

Sam and Chris from Glue then led a lively round-table discussion for the good number of us present. But there should be more of us. This night is quarterly and make sure you make (something for) the next one.

To put yourself on the mailing list for Scratch Interact visit http://www.gluehq.co.uk