Can Television and Theatre be partners?

Convener(s): Alex Eisenberg

Participants: Multiple – names lost.

Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:

Just a list in no particular order:

• The idea of a collaboration between theatre makers and TV makers
• South Bank Show – a space for theatre work to be shown but not for artists to make work
• How do you record a live performance?
  • Its not that interesting to watch live performance recorded on TV
  • Fundamentally changes what the original live performance is
  • TV on stage – Stage on TV?
  • Thinking about Internet – You Tube – performance seems to work better in this format – perhaps because you allow the impossibility of watching live performance on a screen, in a different way to on TV, precisely because You Tube etc. is far less polished.
• Parallels between the creative process of making TV and Theatre – how can we learn from each other
• BUT the heavy constraints of TV – advertising, mass appeal, scheduling.
• Organizations like the BBC have provided spaces and opportunities for ‘theatre people’ (e.g. directors) to become involved in TV
• BUT – example given by one member who did one of these schemes – it was all about working in the established ways that TV works – as opposed to a COLLABORATION.
• Programmes like 3 Minute Wonder on Channel 4
• Channel 4 Dance Season – where they created programmes with contemporary dancers, so dance and television became partners.
• Its just not popular – and TV is about being popular.
• Its not worth the time!
• Ed Fest.tv
• Music Videos as a space for artists – but this is not TV
• Filmed impro – whose line is it anyway!