Lights, Camera, Action! As Theatr Brycheiniog Goes Digital

Theatr Brycheiniog are delighted to announce that they have been awarded £5,000 towards digital upgrades following funding from Theatres Trust's Small Grants Programme, supported by The Linbury Trust.

Theatr Brycheiniog is proud of its working relationship with community partners, who have all expressed a desire to see the popular and vital arts venue evolve the ways in which they work and provide ongoing access to their community and professional programmes. Providing a technically proficient digital service has become an increasing priority for the theatre which alongside the arts industry, and the world as a whole, has had to move and adapt at an unprecedented rate just to survive.

Director of Theatr Brycheiniog, David Wilson said “Theatr Brycheiniog is here for everyone, now that we find ourselves in a pandemic and move towards a post-pandemic world we need to evolve to ensure that we can bring arts entertainment to a wider community by developing new, accessible and differing ways of reaching out to those who have attended, those who may be more cautious about returning and those who may not yet know us, or perhaps have not been to us before as well as potentially new distant, global audience. As well as being able to reopen for meetings, activities and performances when these are allowed we are wishing to develop a further open welcome based online, delivered digitally and that can be engaged with virtually. We plan to do this by deploying a new filming capacity in house. This would see us extend our services to capturing the activity in our Gallery and Studio spaces, exploring the artistic get-togethers, rehearsals and meetings and additionally streaming this content and forging agreements to broadcasting performances when rights allow. This activity would also enable us to maintain further contact with the various communities around us.  We believe that it is our duty to continually strive for new ways in which to be accessible and inclusive and with the measures surrounding the corona-virus pandemic these developments seem necessary during these challenging times. We will use this new digital set up to develop new provision for maintaining access at the Theatr, by working with community partners to continue to engage in artistic activity and hopefully further partner with performances visiting Brecon to maintain access to our programme alongside physical resumption.” 

The Theatres Trust funding provides a valuable contribution towards the significant costs of purchasing equipment in order to be able to film and stream productions, as well as upgrading equipment and overhauling outdated systems currently in place. Their funding has been specifically allocated to support the purchase of equipment at Theatr Brycheiniog, including a camera for filing and digital streaming, a vision mixer and designated computer system. This consists of a 3-camera set up, vision mixer and accessories that can be managed in house across our spaces to support further access and inclusion.

This funding combines with financial support already achieved through the second round of Cultural Recovery funding from the Welsh Government, as well as donated sums from much valued friends and patrons of the Brecon based arts venue.

David continues “Theatr Brycheiniog have already developed a new collaboration with the Sir John Lloyd Memorial Lecture; streaming a digital version of the lecture to the society’s members and developed a new audience for their work. Theatr Brycheiniog also commissioned its own film of a live performance, When The Night Fell by Owen Thomas which is now being shown in the building to visitors of our socially distanced Cultural Café. These trial projects have proved popular and successful in ensuring that work that would usually be honed at the Theatr and experienced physically, could continue to be provided and engaged with despite Covid restrictions”. 

The Theatres Trust believe that current and future generations should have access to good quality theatres where they can be inspired by, and enjoy, live performance. Championing the future of live performance, by protecting and supporting excellent theatre buildings which meet the needs of their communities The Theatre’s Trust provide grants to theatres in need and at risk through their Theatres Protection Fund.