With online platforms providing a means of communication and connection with the wider world during a time of isolation, a year on post the pandemic, we’ve witnessed a significant cultural shift towards utilising technology to work and interact. Drawing on this shift, ZU-UK present Project Perfect Stranger – a WhatsApp experience encouraging participants to work together to complete various tasks and  The PlagueRound Game Show, a Game Show – taking place after Perfect Project Stranger – played out via Zoom whereby participants reveal who they are to eachother and viewers for the first time. Ahead of the experience, sound designer Ross Flight tells us more about working on the project’s sound elements.

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With online platforms providing a means of communication and connection with the wider world during a time of isolation, a year on post the pandemic, we’ve witnessed a significant cultural shift towards utilising technology to work and interact. Drawing on this shift, ZU-UK present Project Perfect Stranger – a WhatsApp experience encouraging participants to work together to complete various tasks and The PlagueRound Game Show, a Game Show – taking place after Project Perfect Stranger – played out via Zoom whereby participants reveal who they are to eachother and viewers for the first time. Ahead of the experience, director Jadé Maravala tells us more about both experiences.

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Born in Pennsylvania in 1907, marine biologist, author and conservationist Rachel Carson would go on to shape the global environmental movement we’ve progressively witnessed being addressed today. Drawing inspiration from the influential biologist, the wonderful illustrate Carson’s inquisitive approach, asking the viewer the question “in what kind of world would we like to live?” in their debut production Nevergreen.

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With a significant rise in the number of referrals and reporting of domestic violence incidents, the dangers faced by victims have become increasingly apparent during lockdown. Highlighting the voices of those who have been victims of domestic violence, writer Safaa Benson-Effiom, alongside a team consisting of Director Lucy Dear, Producer Cheryl Ndione and supported by Wellbeing Practitioner Lou Platt present All in Your Head, a one woman show based on real accounts. Ahead of the production, Lou tells us more about her process of supporting the cast and creative team, her journey pursuing a career supporting mental health within the arts and how she views wellbeing support being implemented more so within the creative process of productions moving forward.

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Nearly a year on since our first national lockdown due to the pandemic, a world post Covid has drastically shaped how we currently live, our realities more so isolated and experienced from a distance in comparison to life before, digital platforms becoming increasingly vital to how we work and connect. Tapping into this new era, writer and performer Eden Harbud of Nod At the Fox responds to this new normal with spoken word piece Breaking Up With Reality – an audio show grasping ‘what was’ and ‘what now is’.

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With a significant rise in the number of referrals and reporting of domestic violence incidents, the dangers faced by victims have become increasingly apparent during lockdown. Highlighting the voices of those who have been victims of domestic violence, writer Safaa Benson-Effiom, alongside a team consisting of Director Lucy Dear, Producer Cheryl Ndione and supported by Wellbeing Practitioner Lou Platt amongst other creatives present ‘All in Your Head’ a one woman show based on real accounts. Ahead of the production, Safaa tells us more about this important watch.

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Crafted from transcripts for an assessment for the Department of Work and Pensions, HERA Theatre’s ‘We Ask These Questions of Everybody’, to stream online on Friday 29th January 2021, highlights the mental, social and financial pressures faced by disabled people in the UK, especially during this very difficult time. Presented as a verbatim opera, the online production offers an insight into a community often underrepresented. Visual Artist Laura Spark –  who specialises in animations, projections and live visuals tells us more about her process for creating creative captioning for the show.

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Crafted from transcripts for an assessment for the Department of Work and Pensions, HERA Theatre’s ‘We Ask These Questions of Everybody’, to stream online on Friday 29th January 2021, highlights the mental, social and financial pressures faced by disabled people in the UK, especially during this very difficult time. Presented as a verbatim opera, the online production offers an insight into a community often underrepresented. Composer, musician and artist Amble Skuse – whose work involves working with a variety of texts which she then fuses with musical elements, tells us more about her creative process for the show.

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A distinctive part of early 21st century dating, dating apps have shaped how we interact, connect and meet up with prospective partners in the digital era. Tapping into this phenomenon in her debut show ‘Manimals’, game producer Michelle Hudson explores dating, loneliness and the struggle to connect within our digital age. Ahead of the multimedia experience, to take place on Zoom initially in the UK from February and Canada from March, Michelle tells us more about the technical elements of the interactive piece.

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Recognising the need for an accessible resource to support with mental health online, Minderful, meaning “nurturing a good state of mental fitness”, is a website comprised of ‘blocks’ and ‘block routines’, features that allow for users to create their very own personalised wellness routines. Currently available to access, Minderful tell us more about the website’s creation, the website’s focus on ‘mental fitness’ and what their hopes for the resource are moving forward.

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