Theatre purists want to remain steadfast to the traditional roots of theatre, shunning digital intrusion in favour of the honest actor/audience interaction that gives theatre its unique presence. Others such as Forkbeard Fantasy, Coney and Unlimited are embracing the seemingly limitless possibilities afforded by digital media.

Increasingly theatres (whether through actual desire or financial requirement) are devising new ways of attracting a more modern, tech savvy audience.  Most now use social media for marketing, with blogs on Twitter, groups on Facebook or film style trailers on You Tube. Some such as the National Theatre or Royal Opera House are turning to screening live performances to outside audiences who are perhaps fearful of the risks live theatre involves and more comfortable with this slightly more removed filmic format (its easier to walk out if you don’t like it!).

And a growing few are taking to exploring how technology can enhance the theatrical experience, often communicating with us through digital mediums, interactive websites where we meet the characters and world they inhabit before even reaching the theatre.  And sometimes, we don’t even reach a theatre…well not the type with a stage and proscenium arch many traditionalists would think of.

This week, with the help of the inspired creatives at Idea Generation, the Royal Shakespeare Company launched their own modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet on Twitter, with each character relating their part of the story over five weeks. Along the way, they’re posting soundbites and videos on YouTube, bringing Shakespeare’s teen romance to twenty-first century teenagers without asking them to set foot in an auditorium.

On April 26th, Stellar Network is hosting a panel event at The Young Vic Theatre to debate these and other pressing issues surrounding digital media in both theatre and film.  Among the six-strong panel is David Varela, a writer/producer who has worked across all four media of theatre, TV, film and online storytelling.  His talents and experience are vast, acting as apprentice to Richard Attenborough while still at university, winning numerous awards for his short films and screenplays, writing for both radio and television (including a great many projects for the BBC and Channel 4), The Hampstead Theatre, ICA and The Royal Court, producing a global adventure for Sony on the PlayStation 3, and now leading a team at nDreams in developing and running an Alternate Reality Game starring Lewis Hamilton.

David works on large cross-media projects that combine all manner of online and live media to tell stories and entertain and usually have some form of interactive element.  He draws influence from many sources, ranging from Charlie Kaufman to 42 Entertainment, Philip Pullman, Raymond Chandler, Kneehigh Theatre and 1980’s text adventures.  But his interest in working cross-media in fact started out as a result of reading the Guardian.

“I studied English at university, made shorts and wrote poetry. Then I came to London and wrote light entertainment (anything from magic shows to musicals) for a holiday entertainment company. I worked as a copywriter, writing in many different voices for many different companies. I wrote plays. I wrote screenplays. I wrote radio plays.

Then I saw an ad in the Guardian written entirely in code.  Unscrambled, it was an open call to writers, designers and creative types to work on an international murder mystery treasure hunt. It was called Perplex City. I started as an in-house writer and took on more and more production duties.  For nearly two years, I worked on this huge cross-media game creating a fictional world using audio drama and live events, fictional websites, videos, puzzles, songs, maps, text messages, board games, and just about every medium you can think of. My diverse career finally came together. It felt like I’d unwittingly trained myself for this new, peculiar job.”

As a writer/producer, David clearly loves his work and is evidently doing well.  Pointing out that he does not have to work across different media for every project (he recently wrote a ‘conventional’ play for Radio 4) his ability to work amongst many media is clearly keeping him in continuous paid work, a situation few writers can lay claim to.

Unquestionably there are some very exciting ventures and possibilities to be explored here and rewards to be reaped.  Our imaginations can be stretched in ways that a bare stage or basic set can only at times achieve.  Artists can communicate with us in many more unique ways and a new audience can be reached who may never have embraced traditional theatre.  But as these barriers are worn down and audiences old and new begin to embrace this shift in culture, questions and concerns about what this means for the future of theatre grow.  Will audiences no longer have to suspend their disbelief?  Will actors feel more like they’re on a film set than a stage?  Will conventional plays lose out to those that are more de rigueur? Will theatre companies who cannot afford these new technologies fall behind those with big budgets and friends in the right (cyber) places?

Whatever the answer, one thing is for sure; as stealthily as it did within our homes and workplace, technology and digital media is becoming an increasingly important part of theatre and its future.  We have little choice but to embrace it.  But in the same way technophobes and traditionalists must open themselves up to these new possibilities, so too must the digital theatre entrepreneurs be mindful of the conventions and devices which make theatre the great unique art form it is.  And for those who fall somewhere in the middle, approach it all with caution…. sometimes computer says no….

Leanne Davis, Actress & Stellar Network PR & Marketing Manager

………………………………….

Stellar Network will be holding our Future Proof event at The Young Vic this Monday 26th April.

This blog post covers the kind of topics we imagine the theatre professionals at this event will be talking about.  There will also be very informed discussion on digital influence in the film industry: content and distribution, from 3D to digital workflows to new business models.

For more information about the panel, the format of the evening and to book tickets visit www.stellarnetwork.com/events

Think politics, disorder, issues with a capital I. In fact, capitalize the whole bloody word. 503 seems synonymous with topical debate, 2009’s This Much Is True, for example.   But can the fearless 503 show its lighter side?

Their new show Peter & Vandy, on which I have just been appointed Assistant Producer, certainly leans to the happier side of the human condition. About as close as 503 will ever come to RomCom, Jay DiPietro’s play is receiving its British premiere after huge success in New York.

It might seem like a safe bet, nice and comfortable and easy. But it goes against that age old axiom (which I may have just made up) that topical issues sell. This certainly seems to work best at 503 and with social/political/cultural “problems” come a whole host of potential marketing strategies. But how do you market a play where two people fall in love, then fall out of love and back in love and then back out of love, etc? This isn’t a deadly shooting on the underground or the conflicts in a gritty south London prison. This is worse. In Britain, Love and Happiness doesn’t sell.

But it’s my job to make it sell. This is going to be tough. I’ll hopefully be back with positive progress soon. Check it out at www.theatre503.com. Maybe I’ll just ask the writer to have a little rewrite. Perhaps Vandy is driven to psychosis after discovering Peter, now a premiership footballer, has been cheating and her brand new Toyota has been recalled?

Back of the net.

I suppose I am influenced by good theatre. I have to be honest though, recently, I haven’t seen a lot of that. Yeah, most of it’s good, enjoyable stuff, I just want to be blown away. As a producer though I find myself influenced by certain artists. I know who I want to work with in my career; who I hope will let me produce their stuff. Mark Rylance, Rupert Goold and companies like Complicite and Punchdrunk are the people I want to work with. I also love experimental, new theatre so its hard to be influenced by something which hasn’t been realised yet.

Do you have a particular style of producing (Would you consider yourself a “creative producer”?)

In my opinion, we work in the arts sector and I strongly believe that all I do is creative. That may sound a bit cliche and a tonne of bullshit, but I think that you can be creative with anything you do. Lighting, acting, any type of design, direction, producing is creative. Of course, you can be boring and treat it like admin, but even arts admin has some capacity to be creative. I’m wary of saying I’m a “Creative Producer”, it implies that a mere “producer” is bland and unartistic.

You’ve incorporated multimedia in theatre productions in the past. To what effect?

Multimedia is important. I think the way theatre is consumed is completely dfferent to 20-30 years ago. We seem to crave visual theatre, I certainly do. This is why directors like Rupert Goold are so successful – they don’t just use text, they utilise all forms of media and it makes for some enchanting work. That said, multimedia should never distract, it should work with the live performance to enhance the production. This is what I try and do when I use multmedia or when I am trying to placate an overly ambitious director adamant to use film, sound, dance, music and performance simultaneously; in my opinion, less is more.

What are your thoughts on the opportunities for producers in the early stages of their career?

In the early stages of producing, it is certainly hard to get anywhere. Well, anywhere you consider to be anywhere. But that said, its easy to get involved. Hitch yourself with some dead end, brainless job. Did someone mention Harrods? and get stuck in. I find everyone incredibly willing to take you on board and offer their advice and that’s incredibly comforting. I would quite like to see some more industry-led producing internships (paid, obviously), but with much of the focus, quite rightly so, on acting, design and direction, that could be a way off.

What is your planned or desired future direction?

At every interview I go to they always ask the “where do you see yourself in 5 years time” question. I always say I don’t know. 5 years, I’m not sure. But 30. No problem. Running a space like the Young Vic, with the best artistic director in the country and owning a blackberry. Tidy.

Thanks Tom!

“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.

What are your influences?

Because I work in so many different media, I draw influences from all over the place. Charlie Kaufman, Powell & Pressburger, 42 Entertainment (and all who sailed in her), Artichoke, Naomi Alderman, Six to Start, Graham Greene, Philip Pullman, Joss Whedon, Raymond Chandler, Pixar, Simon Stevens, Lee Hall, 1980’s text adventures, Punchdrunk and Kneehigh Theatre, Martin Elricsson…. If any of these names are unfamiliar, look them up. They’re all great.

What was your journey to working cross-media?

I studied English at university, made shorts and wrote poetry. Then I came to London and wrote light entertainment (anything from magic shows to musicals) for a holiday entertainment company. I worked as a copywriter, writing in many different voices for many different companies. I wrote plays. I wrote screenplays. I wrote radio plays.
And then I saw an ad in the Guardian written entirely in code. Unscrambled, it was an open call to writers, designers and creative types to work on an international murder mystery treasure hunt. It was called Perplex City. I started as an in-house writer and took on more and more production duties. For nearly two years, I worked on this huge cross-media game creating a fictional world using audio drama and live events, fictional websites, videos, puzzles, songs, maps, text messages, board games, and just about every medium you can think of. My diverse career finally came together. It felt like I’d unwittingly trained myself for this new, peculiar job.

What’s great about diversifying as much as you have?

I’m never going to get bored. Technology is creating new media to tell stories with, but more importantly, there are very few conventions in cross-media storytelling yet – there’s no formula to follow, no reason to do the same thing twice. And though my time is mostly taken up with these cross-media projects, I get to indulge in ‘single-media’ projects too. I’m working on a play for Radio 4 right now.

What’s not great about it?

Cross-media stories have a fairly limited audience at the moment. The technology is still a barrier to a lot of people, so those who play along are mainly the most tech-savvy. As a result, I don’t think the audience is large enough or diverse enough to accommodate a wide range of genres – yet. As the audience grows and matures, we’ll have the chance to tell a bigger range of stories.

Other things that aren’t great: explaining to my mother what I do for a living; struggling to find time to write and not just organize; and dealing with lawyers.

What are your directions for the future; where are you going next?

I’m producing another global game to be launched next year. I think it could get noticed by a more mainstream audience and help make cross-media entertainment truly popular. That’s the aim, anyway. I want everyone to join in.

They’re currently auditioning for the cast of The Shadow Within, taking place at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival and asked Stellar to let our lovely members know –

This brand new piece of writing, from a well-established production team, challenges the line between dreams and reality and promises to clinch its audience to the core.

David, a young Priest, is visited in his confessional box by a figure claiming to be the Holy Ghost. Later that day, he receives another unexpected visit, from an old flame, Jane. Suddenly David’s mundane world is turned upside down, as the figure describes his intentions of cleansing the world through destructive means, whilst Jane’s innocent motives for visiting are thrown in question.

Adrenalin Arts & Entertainment Ltd presents a gripping psychological thriller which thrusts its audience into a dangerous world of desire and obsession.

Character Profiles

Jane – Late twenties; confident; gets through life with intelligence and sex appeal; knows how to be manipulative when necessary.

David – Late twenties; plays it safe; pushed into becoming a Priest by his mother; slight charming geekiness.

AUDITION DATES:

Monday 6th April & Tuesday 7th April

Audition slots available between 2pm and 6pm.

Venue: Dance Attic, Leslie Bricusse Room (second floor), 368 North End Road, London SW6

DIRECTIONS: Buses: 14, 28, 391, 11, 295, G4, N14, N31 to Fulham Broadway

Fulham Broadway Tube

Please get in contact with the director, Charlotte, by email, charlotte.e.peters@gmail.com, to arrange a time and please attach your CV and ideally a headshot.

The production will preview at a London venue at the end of July, with the world premiere taking place at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer and the intention of a transfer to London.

Congratulations to the 20 lucky people who have won the chance to pitch their idea live on 2nd April.

Now it’s your chance to hear their ideas and see what the commissioners think.
Get in quick to be an audience member.

It’s 6.30 arrival for 7.00pm start at Channel 4.

To sign up go to www.stellarnetwork.com click on the events tab and go to ‘Pitch Up 2009 – Audience’. It’s free for Stellar member, £5 for non-members.

Our panel will select the top three pitches, who will win a fantastic set of prizes. And, of course, there’s always the chance that one of these incredible ideas will be taken on by a member of our panel and might just end up on screen.

The Panel

Alistair Pegg – Commissioner, factual entertainment, Channel 4
Jago Lee, Executive Producer, Blink
Benjamin McGrath – Drama development, ITV

Any questions please email Tom Sutton at toms@stellarnetwork.com.

Get in quick – we expect demand to be high!

Read the full story below

PATHE UK AND WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT UK ANNOUNCE NEW STRATEGIC ALLIANCE IN THE UK

12th March, 2009, London – Pathé and Warner Bros. Entertainment UK (WBEUK) today announced a new strategic alliance in the UK, effective as of 13th April, that will see WBEUK distribute Pathé’s films in the UK and Ireland and the two companies will work together to identify co-production opportunities.

The announcement of this new alliance was made by Francois Ivernel, Executive Vice President of Pathé, and Cameron McCracken, Managing Director of Pathé UK, and Josh Berger, President and Managing Director, WBEUK.

As part of its natural evolution, Pathé UK will focus increasingly on the development and production of its own titles rather than the acquisition of third party films. The intention is to produce a slate of four to five English language films a year, to be supplemented by productions from Pathé France.

Moving forward, all of Pathé’s films will be distributed in the UK and Ireland by WBEUK, commencing in May with the release of Stephen Frears’ CHERI, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Friend and Kathy Bates.

Pathé UK will continue to devise the marketing campaigns for the films, with WBEUK taking on the exploitation of the titles across all media outlets and platforms with the exception of the video rights, which will continue to be handled for Pathé by Twentieth Century Fox.

With respect to the increase in Pathé UK’s production activity, Pathé and WBEUK will work together to identify co-production opportunities. The two companies have already been working together for several months on THE JUNGLE BOOKS – a big budget live action version of the classic Kipling novel, the test shoot for which is currently in post-production.

Pathé recently dominated the Oscars® and BAFTA Awards this year with Danny Boyle’s multiple Oscar® winning SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, which has grossed over $243 million worldwide to date, and picked up eight Oscars® including best picture and best director, and seven BAFTA awards. The company’s recent releases also include the BAFTA winning THE DUCHESS, the period drama starring Kiera Knightly, which won an Oscar® for Best Costume, and Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed BAFTA winning directorial debut HUNGER about Irish republican hunger striker Bobby Sands. Upcoming releases include Stephen Frears’ CHERI starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend; Pedro Almodovar’s BROKEN EMBRACES starring Penélope Cruz and Jane Campion’s BRIGHT STAR starring Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish.

Warner Bros. is currently enjoying success with THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON and the Clint Eastwood movie GRAN TORINO. GRAN TORINO has grossed over $177 million worldwide to date and expected to be the highest grossing film of Eastwood’s extraordinary career.

The studio’s phenomenal hit THE DARK KNIGHT, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, has grossed over $1 billion worldwide to date, making it the top superhero/comic book movie of all time and 2008’s highest grossing film worldwide. It also earned Ledger a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar®.

For Pathé, Francois Ivernel, Executive Vice President, and Cameron McCracken, Managing Director Pathé UK, said: “To address the challenges of a rapidly evolving digital world, we felt the most rational response was to develop an alliance with a US Studio. Our relationship with Fox in terms of video distribution has always worked extremely well, so a broader alliance with a US Studio feels entirely natural – we have been approached many times over the years to create such an alliance, but none has offered such a perfect fit as Warner Bros., with its integrated approach across all distribution windows and media platforms. By our continuing management of the whole filmmaking process from development, through production to the marketing of our films, we will continue to provide a bespoke service to our filmmakers whilst also allowing them to benefit from Studio backing.”

Josh Berger, President and Managing Director of Warner Bros Entertainment UK, said “We are delighted to be entering into this strategic partnership with Pathé, one of Europe’s pre-eminent producers of quality, critically acclaimed feature films and a company we have long admired. This exciting alliance will help us both to increase our investment in the production and acquisition of films in the UK and Ireland and to use our relationships and expertise across traditional and new media channels to bring Pathe’s great films to ever more film fans.”

This strategic alliance relates to distribution in the UK and Ireland only, and does not extend to the activities of Pathé France, nor does it affect Pathé UK’s continued role as a leading international sales agents for both Pathé’s own productions and third party titles.

Well to start with there’s a lot of speculation still, particularly in regards to the likes of the South Bank Show, which Stellar has heard will be fine. But from digesting as much of the news as we possible can, it seems most of the hard hits have come to the Yorkshire, Leeds, studio where a fair bit of drama is shot. It also seems likely that the Cory-nobs Manchester studio will close and production will move to the new Media City in Salford Quays – but that doesn’t open until 2011 so we shall see. The best coverage can be found on the Guardian, which also has some comment from ITV employees.

Please do let us know if you have more information you can share with fellow members. And perhaps now is a good time to get your application in to Stellar’s Pitch event

Once again, we’ve joined forces with the great people at Channel 4 to give you the chance to pitch to the people who matter.

The event will take place in the evening of the 2nd April. But to get there you have to send your amazing idea in. The standard was high last year but this time we’re prioritising ORIGINALITY and CREATIVITY. What haven’t you seen onscreen that you think would work brilliantly? How often have you stood in the pub and said “Why haven’t they made that?”

Now’s your chance.

Get your idea down, it needs to be 100 words or less. It can be a drama, documentary, entertainment or features idea – anything goes. Be as concise as possible but always keep in mind what makes your idea different.

Then go to www.stellarnetwork.com, click on the events tab and go to the ‘Pitch Up 2009′ section to register. Fill in your details and copy and paste in your pitch.

Each entry costs £5 for non-members, and it’s FREE for Stellar Network members

On the 2nd April our panel of execs will sit down and here the top 20 pitches LIVE. There’ll pick out their top 3 who will win a great selection of prizes, and might even see their idea on screen

We’ve managed to secure an incredible panel, including Alistair Pegg who commissions factual entertainment at Channel 4, Jago Lee, a vastly experienced executive producer, currently at Blink and Benjamin McGrath, who works in drama development at ITV.

Plus, we’re finalising some very special additional panelists – more details very soon!

The deadline for entries is 14th March – so get writing!