LIVING THE DREAM – EXPLORING THE FUTURE FOR AUDIENCES AND LIVE THEATRE

Production available to view for FREE until 30 September HERE

Over 65,000 people across 92 countries watched the premiere of Dream during the ten live performances in March.  Created by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in collaboration with Manchester International Festival (MIF), Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) and Philharmonia Orchestra the performance used motion capture as the culmination of a major piece of cutting-edge research and development (R&D) exploring how audiences could experience live performance in the future.

A recorded version of Dream is now available to view on the dream.online platform, which was created for the Audience of the Future project. Audiences explore the world of the virtual midsummer forest and the production harnesses live performance, virtual production and gaming technology. Under the shadow of gathering clouds at dusk, lit by the glimmer of fireflies, Puck acts as the guide as audiences take an extraordinary journey into the eye of a cataclysmic storm. The pioneering collaboration explores how audiences could experience live performance in the future in addition to a visit to a performance venue. Audience reaction to the live premiere included:

“Something very different and very cool. I could tell a lot of thought, hard work, and love went into it.”

“Exciting to imagine the future prospects for this kind of work.”

“It was a phenomenal experience. I felt connected to the rest of the audience even though I could not see anyone physically.”

Created under strict Covid protocols the company of seven actors worked alongside motion capture specialists, special audio designers, 3D Houdini artists and movement director to make Dream. The project is one of four Audience of the Future Demonstrator projects, supported by the government Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund which is delivered by UK Research and Innovation. A major piece of research runs throughout the project led by i2media research at Goldsmiths, University of London and NESTA.  One focus of the research is the potential for making similar online performances financially viable for the arts sector.  All findings and research are currently being analysed and will be released in September and shared with the wider UK cultural sector.

Cast and creatives: Robin McNicholas – Director, Pippa Hill – Script Creation, Robin Mc Nicholas & Pippa Hill – Narrative, Esa-Pekka Salonen – Music Director & Composer, Jesper Nordin – Composer, Interactivity Designer and Creative Advisor, Music, Sarah Perry – Movement Director

Maggie Bain (Cobweb), Phoebe Hyder (Understudy Puck and Mustardseed), Durassie Kiangangu (Moth), Jamie Morgan (Peaseblossom), Loren O’Dair (Mustardseed), EM Williams (Puck), Edmund Wood (rehearsal assistant, Understudy Moth, Cobweb & Peaseblossom).

Dream is brought to you by the Audience of the Future Consortium. The project is funded within the Audience of the Future programme by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

Led by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) the Audience of the Future consortium includes De Montfort University · Epic Games · i2 Media Research Limited · Intel Studios · Magic Leap · Manchester International Festival · Marshmallow Laser Feast · Nesta · Phi Centre · Philharmonia Orchestra · Punchdrunk · University of Portsmouth· The Space.

Dream is generously supported by Miranda Curtis CMG, the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, Audrey Mandela and Sean Phelan, and is an EPIC MegaGrants recipient.

New work at the RSC is generously supported by The Drue and H.J. Heinz II Charitable Trust

The Audience of the Future Advisory Group includes: Clare Reddington: Advisory Group Chair and RSC Board Member – CEO, Watershed; Myriam Achard: Chief, New Media Partnerships and Public Relations, Phi Centre in Montreal; Professor Genevieve Bell: Distinguished Professor and Director 3A Institute, Australian National University and Senior Fellow at Intel Corporation; Rachna Bhasin: EQ Partners – Founder/CEO // Pacifica Investments – Founder; Ruthie Doyle: Director, Emerging Media, Interdisciplinary Program (IDP), Sundance Institute; Hilary Knight: Digital Director, Tate; Ben Lumsden: Business Development Manager, Unreal Enterprise, Epic Games; Fiona Morris: CEO and Creative Director of the Space; Kim-Leigh Pontin: Creative Director at Nexus Studios; Zillah Watson: Immersive Executive Producer and former head of BBC VR Hub; Diana Williams: Founder/Producer of Kinetic Energy Entertainment; New writing at the RSC is generously supported by The Drue and H.J. Heinz II Charitable Trust

Audience of the Future: The project has been funded as one of the four major Demonstrator projects within the Audience of the Future Challenge.  Each demonstrator was charged with advancing the state of the art in technology, audience experience and business model for a key sector of the UK’s world leading creative industries: moving image, visitor experience, sports broadcasting and performance (Dream).  With immersive and digital technologies set to transform the way we make, distribute and consume cultural and creative experiences. Audience of the Future provides a coordinated programme of Research and Development to ensure that the UK can become a world leader in this new field of creative technology.  Audience of the Future is delivered by UK Research and Innovation as part of Government’s Industrial Strategy.

UK Research and Innovation has the mission to convene, catalyse and invest to build a thriving, inclusive research and innovation system that connects discovery to prosperity and public good across the UK with a vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation for the benefit of all.

Arts Council England (ACE): is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk

The Royal Shakespeare Company creates world class theatre, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world, performing plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as commissioning an exceptionally wide range of original work from contemporary writers. Our purpose is to ensure that Shakespeare is for everyone, and we do that by unlocking the power of his plays and of live performance, throughout the UK and across the world.

We believe everybody’s life is enriched by culture and creativity. We have trained generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future. Our transformative Learning Programmes reach over half a million young people and adults each year, and through our Placemaking and Public Programme we create projects with and for communities who have not historically engaged with our work. We are a leader in creative immersive technologies and digital development.

We have a proud record of innovation, diversity and excellence on stage and are determined to grasp the opportunity to become an even more inclusive, progressive, relevant and ambitious organisation.

We recognise the climate emergency and work hard to embed environmental sustainability into our operations, creative work and business practice, making a commitment to continually reduce our carbon footprint.

Registered charity no. 212481 rsc.org.uk