“It’s a bit like Goggle Box crossed with Shakespeare”, Lucy Askew, creative director at Creation Theatre Company tells me, even though she can scarcely believe the success of last weekend’s live virtual performance of The Tempest.
Not only did the six performances sell out last weekend but the waiting list for the Shakespearean comedy reached 250, and the audience international with viewers in Mexico, America and Ireland, spreading to 13 countries in all.
“It went absolutely crazy. Every performance was sold out. We had a four star review from The Guardian which helped, but it just went berserk,” she grins. “And we had all these massive names in the industry waiting for tickets to see how it was done, which is interesting.”
In other words, Creation is once again ahead of the game producing original, unique work and leading the way in the Oxford theatre company’s inimitable style.
Delighted with its success, Lucy has just released tickets for the next nine performances (Sat-Sat), with one performance scheduled for 11pm so that the US can access it, and hopes to do the same going forward over the summer.
“If demand continues like this we will start planning the next play very soon,” she reveals which will have the same approach of providing a live, shared, interactive audience experience.”
So how does The Tempest work virtually and does it detract from the original script? “We put on The Tempest last year as an interactive in-the-round performance where the audience was divided into groups and led to different scenes around Osney Mead, so it seems the right play to reignite.
“All the actors were free and the scripts were fresh in their minds so we didn’t have to start again, instead we got one of our favourite directors, Zoe Seaton of Big Telly Theatre Company, on board, who knew exactly how to stage it and what to do. She is a genius.
“Zoe has such vision, so we always agree to whatever she suggests because she is so brilliant and spot on,” Lucy says, “and that was that. But we knew it needed to be really inventive and adaptive, something new, something we had never been done before.”
As for how it works, each actor plays their part in their own home, albeit in their sitting rooms, bedrooms or outside, with different artificial backdrops, so the audience is none the wiser. It looks like they are on Prospero’s Island or on a boat. They also appear on a split screen which makes it look as if they are interacting and then they perform it live on Zoom.
“We have a stage manager making sure the right actors are up at the same time, and there is live interaction with the audience of 100. Sometimes the focus is on them and they love their moment in the limelight,” Lucy explains.
Creation then put tickets for their latest concept on sale just to see what would happen, and they flew.
So what’s the attraction? “We are not just streaming something old and asking for money or donations. We wanted to make fresh work for our audiences. Our audience needs us now more than ever, so we wanted to do things differently from the start,” Lucy explains.
“And it’s working. The audience is so excited and dress up for the performances or prepare with their drinks and snacks all laid out and ready. They love it and the feedback has been incredible.”
Bearing in mind that Creation’s version of The Time Machine is due to open at Oxford’s Natural History Museum in late July, and contingency plans are already being made.
“Fingers crossed that it will go ahead, but if not we will still provide a full Creation season this summer, because this is a really exciting time when theatre companies can really step up to the mark, and if it means spreading Creation’s name a bit further afield, so much the better,” Lucy concludes.
Book tickets for Creation’s live performance of The Tempest here: https://www.creationtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-virtual-tempest/?dm_i=1WXH,6T84L,E2AHIF,R9VI9,1
