Making theatre accessible to everyone in Australia, regardless of where they live, is the goal of the not-for-profit organisation, Australian Theatre Live.
Artistic Director Grant Dodwell and his team are now screening major metropolitan plays in cinemas, arts centres and community halls across the country, wherever there’s an interest in live theatre and opera performances.
“We are a not-for-profit,” says Dodwell. “So, our main vision is to get theatre that appears in metro areas that is accessible by people that would never get to see it because of its cost, distance or affordability. We recently had four Sydney Festival films screened in over 25 venues from Brewarrina in NSW to Charters Towers in Queensland.”
As of Monday October 17, the organisation has taken another step towards providing Australians with a means of accessing recordings of productions. This will be introduced via a streaming platform – Australian Theatre Live On Demand – that will regularly upload films of productions presented around the country.
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With 18 productions already uploaded onto their new service, all of which are Australian, Dodwell assures consumers that they can expect the archive to expand rapidly and exponentially as time goes by.
“Initially we are having 18 play captures, but within six to eight months we hope to have doubled that, maybe up to about 30. Each year there will be more and more. The price point is therefore very reasonable.”
Audiences can expect to pay only $7.99 per month or $74.99 per year for a subscription, with a guaranteed first week free. However, those hesitating to subscribe can rest assured that the money paid for a subscription is being distributed fairly to artists.
“We produce the captures ourselves,” says Dodwell. “We are a production company. All the films that are going to be on the streaming platforms have been filmed, captured by and produced by us. We have done all the contractual arrangements. Everyone is paid, the artist, the director, designer, the wardrobe, the music and then there is a percentage share of profits, as there is with touring.”
There is scope too for independents who have filmed their own productions to have them featured on the subscription platform, so long as they are of a high quality.
“If people have filmed their own production and it’s up to our standard, we will certainly put it on our platform, so then we become a hub for Australian works, whether they are opera, dance or theatre.”
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The subscription service is designed to showcase Australian talent and artistry to a much broader audience around the country.
“Our main criteria is that it is Australian,” says Dodwell. “It’s Australian creatives, admittedly with Pinchgut opera we are looking at French composer, Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Platee, it is very old, but Neil Armfield directed it, so it’s a very Australian take on a French Opera.”
What can also be expected is an wide selection of productions, ranging from Opera, music, circus, to theatre and all else that resides of the spectrum of performative arts.
“It’s eclectic in its artistic approach,” says Dodwell. “There is something for everyone, it moves from comedy drama right through to a children’s musical Rumpelstiltskin.”
“We have Sydney Theatre Company’s, Away by Michael Gow, which is a very iconic Australian play. We have independent theatres, including Louis Nowra’s This Much is True, filmed in a 60-seater theatre in Woolloomooloo, which you might deem as a fringe theatre. We have Griffin Theatre Company.”
“We also had Prehistoric Picnic by Erth Puppets which we filmed in Sydney’s Botanical Gardens last January. It’s a kid show with beautiful handmade puppets.”
Through the establishment of their new subscription platform, Dodwell and the Australian Theatre Live unit are hoping to perpetuate the ancient practice of storytelling and the connectedness it maintains within communities.
“It’s community based,” says Dodwell. “Theatre has always been the glue keeping communities together. Australian story-telling still exists and we are not replacing live theatre, we are an adjunct, a support for the live-performance experience.”
Dodwell remains adamant that theatre in whatever capacity it is observed can have a resounding positive impact on individuals and collectives.
“I toured this country extensively and I saw the results of individuals in small towns, large towns, in community and rural areas coming together and seeing live theatre and hence my enthusiasm in starting this up seven or eight years ago.”
This new ATLive by subscription development will complement their travelling roadshow concept seamlessly.
“We do [also] have a thing called Play-in-a-Box, which is a pop-up cinema contained in two boxes. It has a big screen, with a terrific sound system which can screen Australian Theatre Live productions for [everyone].”
Discover Australian Theatre Live On Demand for yourself, head to the website here.
