Leicester’s Curve theatre is ready to release a 360° recording of Nikolai Foster’s production of Calamity Jane, which will allow viewers to choose the angle from which they see it using advanced technology. As a world first for theatre, the musical will be staged in the round at Curve, where it will be filmed from a number of different angles – including from the stage itself.
Such a new concept transcends the increasingly popular theatre in the round stance. The recorded production will be available to view online from at both Curve’s website and the Guardian, and viewers will be able to select which angle they see the musical from at any point during the show. When audiences cannot afford the stall seats and are sat up high, facial expressions and small nuances are often missed. Choosing the angle will add much more freedom.
It is ironic, furthermore, that a play about a group of pioneers from the 1800s has been filmed in 2015, using cameras and technology even ahead of their time today. It is hoped that the Curve’s recording – a research and assessment project in collaboration with VR Web Design, digital developers Un.titled and the Guardian – will lead to the development of a regular series of 360° broadcasts, with Calamity Jane the first to test this new technology on stage.
Calamity Jane has been on tour since July 2014, and stars Jodie Prenger and Tom Lister, directed by Foster. It is clear that the benefits of being the first theatre to use the technology could be enormous, not only for technology but also for what it enables by making theatre truly accessible to all. Additionally the advancement could also be a useful tool for the theatre in order to attract and host corporate conferences.
New perspectives for Leicester’s Curve
Leicester’s Curve theatre is ready to release a 360° recording of Nikolai Foster’s production of Calamity Jane, which will allow viewers to choose the angle from which they see it using advanced technology. As a world first for theatre, the musical will be staged in the round at Curve, where it will be filmed from a number of different angles – including from the stage itself.
Such a new concept transcends the increasingly popular theatre in the round stance. The recorded production will be available to view online from at both Curve’s website and the Guardian, and viewers will be able to select which angle they see the musical from at any point during the show. When audiences cannot afford the stall seats and are sat up high, facial expressions and small nuances are often missed. Choosing the angle will add much more freedom.
It is ironic, furthermore, that a play about a group of pioneers from the 1800s has been filmed in 2015, using cameras and technology even ahead of their time today. It is hoped that the Curve’s recording – a research and assessment project in collaboration with VR Web Design, digital developers Un.titled and the Guardian – will lead to the development of a regular series of 360° broadcasts, with Calamity Jane the first to test this new technology on stage.
Calamity Jane has been on tour since July 2014, and stars Jodie Prenger and Tom Lister, directed by Foster. It is clear that the benefits of being the first theatre to use the technology could be enormous, not only for technology but also for what it enables by making theatre truly accessible to all. Additionally the advancement could also be a useful tool for the theatre in order to attract and host corporate conferences.