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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Raising the profiles of pub theatres within the capital, London Pub Theatres Magazine celebrates and supports our unique fringe theatre culture. Founded and edited by theatre maker Heather Jeffrey, the magazine has helped to raise the awareness of the various theatre venues that continue to shape the industry. Heather tells us more about what inspired her to create the publication, how theatres are currently adapting to restrictions with online shows, the awards initiatives created to celebrate the great work being created and her hopes for the publication moving forward.

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Compiled from a year long period of research conducted by New Writing South, Dinos Aristidou’s digital performance ‘Hear Us Out‘ celebrates the stories of the elder LGBTQ+ community – a keyword from this performance being ‘visibility’; bringing to the fore stories that are often left untold. Dinos tells us more about how he’s feeling ahead of the show, his inspirations for the piece and the importance of verbatim within his work.

(Image courtesy of Rosie Powell)

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Within the past 7 months, the integration of digital within the arts has witnessed various creative responses to an otherwise challenging year. In response to current restrictions, award winning theatre company Popelei have curated a range of works for our new normal; shows programmed for their digital festival Press Play ‘set designed’ to help set the tone for each piece. Popelei co-founders Tamsin Hurtado Clarke and Scarlett Plouviez tell us more about the innovative festival and what to expect!

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A crucial component of Grime culture, important in terms of their influence and preservation of music – DJs help to promote undiscovered voices to new audiences – bridging the gap between communities and inviting all to connect within a shared experience. Their ability to compile their own musical sets an opportunity to showcase creativity and a musical language unique to them. Establishing a career within a male dominated genre, award nominated DJ Kaylee Kay has performed for some of the UK’s well respected venues and radio stations including Rinse FM, Kiss FM, the O2 and is currently a resident DJ at Boxpark. Ahead of HighRise Theatre’s online Grime rave Lil.Miss.Lady where she’ll performing pre and post sets, Kaylee tells us more about what to expect from the show!

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Due to showcase new work earlier on in the year, RUMAH have adapted their festival into an online event – a mixture of spoken word, scratch performances and comedy skits highlighting Asian voices, advocating for much needed representation on our stages. Presenting #RUMAHFest Online, founder and producer Nur Khairiyah talks about how she’s adapted to the current climate as a theatre maker and freelancer, the importance of creating these types of platforms and spaces for artists and her hopes for the festival moving forward.

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From Friday 24th July until Sunday 16th August, the Electric Dreams Online Festival will showcase various works responding to the digital world we find ourselves in. A mixed programme of web-native theatre, music and experiences, Electric Dreams explores the use of social media, audio, visual, mapping and Virtual Reality as a means of telling stories. Taking part in the latest edition of the festival is Abhi Arumbakkam with her inventive show Small Screen Lives, a piece taking place across social media and highlighting 3 different stories. Ahead of the festival, Abhi talks to us about what to expect!

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Within the past year, the way in which we’ve consumed live art has changed; due to the closure of arts venues, creatives within arts industries have had to adapt their work digitally, online platforms providing a space for audiences to connect. A response to our current climate, the Electric Dreams Online Festival showcases a mixed programme of web native theatre, music and immersive experiences exploring the use of various digital technologies from social media to Virtual Reality (VR). Curated by award winning immersive and interactive curators and co-founders of Crossover Labs Mark Atkin and Tom Miller, both tell us what we can expect from the online festival!

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