Brixton House Talk about their digital Collaboration with LIVR

In a matter of months, the theatre industry have had to quickly adapt to how they engage with their audiences post the Covid-19 pandemic. An industry whereby live art is integral, the digital space has become new ground for platforming thought provoking creative works and reaching wider audiences. Launching their House to House online initiative, Brixton House in collaboration with LIVR showcase a series of plays filmed in 2018 – Random Selfies by Mike Kenny and WHITE and GREY by Koko Brown. Brixton House tell us more about the initiative and how they envision theatre moving forward within our digital age.

Shows from the Ovalhouse (now renamed Brixton House) will stream on the Brixton House website. How do you feel about the initiative?

We are pleased to be able to support artists during the uncertainty of the lockdown period. As well as offer something to audiences who may have missed our shows or now able to revisit them through the House to House online streams.

Across the weeks Mike Kenny’s Random Selfies, Koko Brown’s shows WHITE and GREY will stream online. What inspired you to choose these shows?

The House to House online series is a response to the lockdown period and the shows resonate with some of the important conversation taking place. Mike Kenny’s Random Selfies follows the journey of 10-year-old Loretta and how she copes with loneliness. This felt poignant when so many young people will be stuck indoors. Koko Brown’s work WHITE and GREY deal with the complexities of race, identity and well-being whilst embedding BSL-integration into the production.  All the productions raised important issues that many people might be faced with during this time.

These shows were originally performed and recorded in 2018, what inspired the original collaboration with LIVR?

All theatres have had to think differently about engaging with audiences and supporting artists. Due to the lockdown the world focused on digital solutions and virtual engagement. We were no different. We considered the productions that thematically explored important conversations society is having at the moment. Families are navigating a new way of educating and entertaining children, and artists are reimagining how they create work and express them creatively during this time.

How do you envision theatre moving forward within the digital age?

Over the last few years, we have experimented with digital technology inside the theatre, whether VR experiences or digitally animated sets, as seen in Random Selfies. The lockdown period has urged us all to consider new innovations of digital technology in theatre, and it feels inevitable that more creative ideas will flourish out of creative conversations.

Questions by Lucy Basaba.

Brixton House in collaboration with LIVR will showcase productions weekly online. To find out more, visit here…