Black Swan in Aussie first
For the first time in Australia, Black Swan State Theatre Company’s live stage performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the State Theatre Centre of WA in Perth will be broadcast in real time to audiences across regional Western Australia. A live broadcast has never been done in by an Australian state theatre company before this.
For the first time in Australia, Black Swan State Theatre Company’s live stage performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the State Theatre Centre of WA in Perth will be broadcast in real time to audiences across regional Western Australia. A live broadcast has never been done in by an Australian state theatre company before this.
The event will happen on May 21.
With a huge cast of 17 WA actors, and directed by Artistic Director Kate Cherry, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most loved comedies, as it weaves stories of love and longing, magic and mayhem together into a perennial audience favourite.
To create the opportunity for regional audiences to share and experience the best of live theatre, Black Swan will broadcast a live performance of this Shakespearean classic from the new State Theatre Centre of WA to audiences in six regional and rural centres – as well as two metropolitan venues, Armadale and Northbridge Piazza. The broadcast will also be available on the Westlink network.
This is an opportunity for thousands of regional WA citizens who normally cannot attend Black Swan performances because of distance or financial constraints to share a state-wide ‘live’ experience within their own community. Thanks to support from Lotterywest, admission to the broadcasts at all venues is free.
No other state theatre company in Australia has put on a live broadcast like this project.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be broadcast live onto screens at the following venues on Saturday, May 21from 7.00pm:
• Esperance: Esperance Civic Centre; bookings on 9083 1566
• Kalgoorlie: Goldfields Arts Centre; bookings on 9088 6900 or www.goldfieldsartscentre.com.au
• Geraldton: Queens Park Theatre; bookings on 9956 6662
• Mandurah: Mandurah Performing Arts Centre; bookings on 9550 3900 or www.manpac.com.au
• Bunbury: Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre; bookings on 1300 661 272 or www.bunburyentertainment.com
• Merredin: Cummins Theatre; bookings on 9041 3295
• Armadale: Armadale Town Hall; bookings on 9399 0410
• Northbridge: Northbridge Piazza; no bookings necessary
The regional simulcasts are free events, however it is recommended that people book tickets from the relevant venue’s ticketing agency before the performance date in order to secure seats.
The broadcast will include a pre-performance talk in Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton and Armadale, and every venue will feature behind-the-scenes footage before the show. The broadcasts at five of the venues – Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Armadale and Northbridge Piazza – will be hosted by Black Swan comperes. Black Swan is also holding a number of community workshops in the lead-up to the broadcast in Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton and Armadale.
In addition to being shown at these public venues, regional audiences can also watch the performance at over 170 tele-centres across WA (a list is available from the Westlink website http://www.westlink.wa.gov.au/Content/SatReceptionCentres.aspx), or from home for anyone with a satellite dish and decoder that picks up the Westlink channel (23) via Optus-Aurora satellite. This transmission is not available through paid satellite TV services or terrestrial antennas.
This project will bring together a unique team of media creatives, the latest technology installed in the State Theatre Centre and the artistic talents of Black Swan to provide a high quality live theatre experience for audiences many kilometres away. The performance will be captured using six cameras and some 25 microphones managed by a production team that includes one of Australia’s and West Australia’s finest multi-camera directors, two senior audio supervisors and a crew of top local cameramen and outside broadcast technicians.
Black Swan’s Artistic Director Kate Cherry said: “I am excited to share this live theatre experience with regional communities across Western Australia. Black Swan is committed to bringing world-class theatre to regions and communities that may not normally have access to it. Theatre and the arts are a great way to engage communities and tell stories that resonate with everyone.”
Black Swan’s Perth season of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will run from May 7-22 at the Heath Ledger Theatre in the new State Theatre Centre of WA. Tickets for the Perth season are available through BOCS Ticketing.
Featuring James Beck, Elizabeth Blackmore, Benj D’Addario, Adriane Daff, Arielle Gray, Stuart Halusz, Brendan Hanson, Luke Hewitt, Natalie Holmwood, Michael Loney, Sam Longley, Kelton Pell, Myles Pollard, Kenneth Ransom, Alison Van Reeken, Scott Sheridan and Shubhadra Young.