STREAMED SHAKESPEARE Continues Making Waves Online

A resourceful Australian theatre company has made international friends and fans with its highly produced FREE online performances of Shakespeare - all from the desktops of its creative team!

Now completing its tenth production, STREAMED SHAKESPEARE continues to build its international online audience as well as its reputation for creating quality streaming adaptations of The Bard's best-loved plays.

Initially drawing on Sydney-based talent left idle due to the COVID-19 crisis, the company now brings its cast and crew together from around the world, including Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Europe. The most noted new addition is composer Paul Bremen from Germany, who scored the music for the group's production of The Winter's Tale.

Artistic Director Holly Champion (left) says bringing creatives together and keeping skills honed is never more important than at this challenging time for the arts. "Streamed Shakespeare is one of the few companies offering performance work at this time - and with virtual sets, costumes, songs, choreography, original music and more! In the process, we are developing a brand new, exciting genre: live streamed video-conference theatre."

As Streamed Shakespeare's cast grows to include international members, so does its audience. Two of their most recent productions, the comedies As You Like It and The Winter's Tale, have been enjoyed by almost 35,000 viewers around the world.

Streamed Shakespeare is not only popular in Australia but is also developing audiences in countries such as India, the United States, New Zealand, and the Philippines, where lockdown measures have placed a halt on gatherings. Online theatre offers a welcome ray of light and a much-needed sense of community.

"I was hungry to sink my teeth into Shakespeare again, and with theatres closed,
I thought that would be sometime before it was possible, so this has been an absolute delight! Great challenge too." - Sydney-based actor Ben Barber

Thanks to improvements to video conferencing prompted by lockdown protocols around the world, Streamed Shakespeare is continually finding new ways to innovate its performance - which are free to view, live or on demand (Facebook or YouTube).

Each production has provided the opportunity to push the boundaries of what is possible with this new technology. The recent addition of pre-recorded video and music, sound effects and virtual backdrops allows Streamed Shakespeare to approximate a full live theatre experience for their audience.

Thankfully, the cost of this technology is reasonably low, which means that Streamed Shakespeare can operate almost entirely as a self-funded entity.
The company is looking at ways to increase its revenue stream with its eye on the future, post-COVID-19 world. A Raisely donation site was created to gather donations.

The company will use these funds for promotion and the purchase of equipment and other means of enhancing cast performances. In a world wracked by economic and social uncertainty, Streamed Shakespeare is providing an outlet for isolated individuals to come together as a nurturing community.

Theatre lovers are using technology that transcends lockdown protocols and social distancing to become an audience to rival any that sit in an auditorium.
As trying as these times are, this is an exciting time to explore the opportunities provided by streaming media. Streamed Shakespeare will continue to be at the cutting edge of these innovations for this new 21st-century stage.

To view previous live streams and learn more about our fantastic cast and crew, please visit: www.streamedshakespeare.com.