National Theatre Wales leads on new digital productions

A new partnership led by National Theatre Wales (NTW) is aiming to provide Wales’ theatre and performance sector with “a galvanised sense of community, crucial employment opportunities and the impetus to create” while venues remain closed as a result of coronavirus.

NTW is joining forces with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and producing house Sherman Theatre, who will be working together to develop Network, a digital programme of new work that will create opportunities for theatre makers. BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Arts will be acting as the programme’s commissioning and digital partners, providing broadcast and digital support to help artists bring the initiative to audiences across Wales and the UK.

Network will feature two project strands. New Digital Commissions has already opened with a call for Wales’ theatre artists to make live theatre responding to the ongoing lockdown in digital spaces.

Play Readings will commission 12 plays in digital spaces to showcase the talent of playwrights, companies and creatives. Welsh directors, actors, and designers will be given a platform to share homegrown work, as well as contemporary classic titles that may not have been performed in Wales before.

NTW has had to cancel its programmed run of Hail Cremation!, due to open its 10th anniversary year on 23rd March, though all employment contracts for the cast, crew and creatives are being honoured in full.

Artistic Director, Lorne Campbell, said: “It’s imperative for us to continue to create employment opportunities for artists at this time of uncertainty and vulnerability.”

NTW is also working with theatre companies, casting directors, and agents across Wales to provide opportunities for 2020 acting graduates, helping them connect with industry professionals in Wales and offer their time and advice in the coming weeks.