This is the video from my Contemporary Issues in Arts Management conference paper, Will digital innovation be the future of theatre? The paper was delivered as the penultimate module of my Music, Theatre and Entertainment Management degree at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. To find out more about the conference, as well as the abstracts of all of my classmates delivering papers, visit artsconferences.co.uk.

There were a huge variety of papers, all covering contemporary issues which interested those speaking. They covered a range of topics, including music sync fees, social media and the evolution of the live music industry. To read the abstract for my paper as well as a little bit more about the topic itself, have a read of my previous #CIAM post. You might also want to follow the #CIAM hashtag on Twitter, where a variety of links are posted reflecting the reality young performing arts managers think they will be facing upon graduation.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you follow me on Twitter then you might have noticed that since Christmas I have been hash-tagging certain tweets as #ciam. The hashtag belongs to the penultimate module of my undergraduate LIPA life, Contemporary Issues in Arts Management, a series of guest lectures from members of the performing arts, music and entertainment industries which culminates in a student led conference the week of 12 April 2010 at Liverpool’s Contemporary Urban Centre.

As someone studying Music, Theatre and Entertainment Management being asked to deliver a 20 minute conference paper on a current issue in the industry opens up almost endless possibilities. This is probably a good thing as all 30 of my classmates will be delivering presentations. The fantastic thing about the conference, and indeed the course, is the huge range of perspectives people approach things from. To get a bit of an insight into the range of topics being covered have a look at the collated abstracts on the conference’s website.

Read the rest of this entry »

No sooner was the idea of a London Fringe floated in the press yesterday than the soapboxes were quickly assembled and shouted from. The first article I read on the subject was in The Standard who obviously swallowed the London Fringe press release wholeheartedly, describing the idea of trying to run a large scale festival in London in August as “throwing down the gauntlet” to Edinburgh, an event with a 60 year history and international reputation.

Swiftly followed a Gruniad piece on the subject penned by Veronica Lee which pretty much covered my main concerns -  that trying to set up a fringe festival in direct competition to Edinburgh would be a fruitless endeavour because the majority of companies, arts journalists and dedicated fringe theatre goers will have made the 400 mile trip north.

Read the rest of this entry »

Twitter is only as useful as the people you follow. Here are 100 theatre people to follow on Twitter so that you know what’s going on and keep you up to date. You’ll be surprised the number of people who follow you back, engaging in conversation with you. Remember to retweet and @reply to be active in your online community

Update: Thank you for all of the feedback on who to include in the list. Harnessing the power of other people’s Twitter lists and suggestions you made the list of 100 has now swelled to 129. Enjoy.

London Theatres

Follow them all in one click with Twitter Lists

1. @NationalTheatre The National Theatre on the Southbank, with six or seven productions in repertory at any one time.
2. @OldVicTheatre Led by Artistic Director Kevin Spacy. Original home of the National Theatre company.
3. @NTLive The National Theatre’s initiative to broadcast live theatre to cinemas.
4. @TheRSC The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) based in Stratford-upon-Avon but perform worldwide.
5. @RoyalOperaHouse Home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
Read the rest of this entry »

Bringing a fantastically irreverant look at the West End to the West End, Jest End doesn’t miss a beat from start to finish. Having watched previews of the show online I knew Jest End was slick, taking well known West End numbers and replacing lyrics with a series of fast paced, tongue in cheek romps through musical theatre past and present.

Combining well choreographed chorus numbers with wonderfully witty solo performances the show doesn’t take any prisoners, unashamedly taking the mick out of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh and just about everyone who has taken a part in a West End musical, or written one.

Read the rest of this entry »

My trips up and down the escalators to the Tube every morning changed slightly over the weekend with all the standard theatre posters being replaced with Christmas themed versions.

It’s the first time I’ve been in London for an extended period this close to Christmas but it does make perfect sense that West End producers are bumping up their advertising campaigns and planting the idea of a West End show Christmas treat in the minds of consumers. The number of high budget, highly advertised shows around London has also spiked in the run up to the festive period with Peter Pan transfering it’s tent from Kensington Gardens to the O2 arena. Panto is of course the other market factor to contend with as regional theatres just outside London, local to the train season ticket toting, high earning commuters who arrive in the city centre every morning.

Read the rest of this entry »

Familiar to those I have worked with at C venues over the past couple of years, Belt Up are an an experimental theatre company hailing from York who have recently been making quite the impression at the Fringe. Their adaptation of Kafka’s Trial was one of two sell out shows that were staged at the Fringe this year, moving the group from their previous Red Room venue at C central into a found space in the fire wrecked C soco.

The back arch at Southwark Playhouse plays host to the piece for the next three weeks and again gives the piece a fantastic backdrop of urban decay. Just a few metres away from the trains rumbling over head the lighting design can only be described as spectacular, moving the audience from one end of the space to another, constantly creating new environments and revealing what sometimes feels like an endlessly large space. It really is a fantastic environment to showcase the work, adapted by and starring Dominic Allen.

Read the rest of this entry »