Digital Theatre Launches First Downloadable Theatre Productions

Today, 26 October 2009, Digital Theatre announce their first high definition downloadable theatre productions available from their website using their specially developed Theatre Player which is compatible with all major browsers and operating systems.

With an investment of over £1 million and the support of Equity and BECTU, Digital Theatre and its first five creative partner theatres - The Almeida Theatre Company, English Touring Theatre, The Royal Court Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Young Vic - will produce downloadable top quality theatre productions filmed in front of live audiences.

For a cost of £8.99 per download, users can keep and enjoy access to each production from www.digitaltheatre.com or the individual partner theatre's website.

Co-founders Robert Delamere and Tom Shaw said: "Our aim is to make Digital Theatre the focal point for theatre-based entertainment online. DigitalTheatre.com is a single destination site, acting as a vibrant source of information and content, providing continued enjoyment for traditional theatre goers as well as bringing great theatrical works to a wider audience."

Digital Theatre's first download is English Touring Theatre's Far From The Madding Crowd, a new adaptation by Mark Healy from Thomas Hardy, directed by Kate Saxon with a cast including Stephen Billington, Phil Cheadle, Adam Croasdell and Rebecca O'Mara. This will be followed by The Container presented in association with the Young Vic and Amnesty International, highlighting the plight of illegal immigrants coming to the UK, written by Clare Bayley and directed by Tom Wright.

The Almeida Theatre, the Royal Court and the Royal Shakespeare Company are currently collaborating with Digital Theatre with a view to contributing productions shortly.

"The pleasure of working with Digital Theatre is that they are truly collaborative, it's a proper artistic partnership from start to finish. In the past this kind of work has been vulnerable to artistic and financial abuse, but Digital Theatre are thankfully so open about their process that the results have already progressed and advanced. We are really looking forward to developing our partnership and exploring what promises to be a really exciting future". Michael Attenborough, Artistic Director, Almeida Theatre.

"We at English Touring Theatre are proud to be a part of this exciting new initiative. Our production of Far from the Madding Crowd played to packed theatres on tour last year and this filmed version cleverly captures the raw energy and dynamism of the live production, seamlessly transporting it to a whole new medium and to a whole new audience." Rachel Tackley, Director, English Touring Theatre.

"We're always looking for ways to bring our work to the largest possible number of people. And the potential of digital technology to connect with a worldwide audience is genuinely exciting." Dominic Cooke, Director, Royal Court Theatre.

"There needs to be a revolutionising of the capture of live theatre, and we are enjoying the pursuit of that ambition with Digital Theatre." Michael Boyd, Artistic Director, Royal Shakespeare Company.

"The combination of new technologies that promise filmed versions of productions that retain vitality and immediacy and producers who understand the needs of artists is a winning one. To create a filmed version of a show as eccentric and challenging as The Container, set in a shipping container, was a challenge. We thought if Digital Theatre can make this work, they can do anything. And they have." David Lan, Artistic Director, Young Vic.

"We do wish Digital Theatre every success with this undertaking and believe it will benefit the theatre community, extend audiences, and prove a valuable additional income stream for our members." Hilary Hadley, Head of Organising, Live Performance Department, Equity.

Robert Delamere is a theatre, opera, television and commercials director best known for his theatre work where he has directed more than thirty productions, including Accidental Death of an Anarchist for the Donmar Warehouse, A Russian in the Woods for the Royal Shakespeare Company, In a Little World of Our Own for the Foundry and the Donmar Warehouse and The Force of Change for the Royal Court. He has written Nicotine Jean and directed Linda Brogan's God Can See Down Entries for the BBC Radio 3 series The Wire. His theatre productions have been nominated for numerous awards including the South Bank Show's Production of the Year Award for The Force of Change and the 2006 Olivier Comedy of the Year Award for Shoot the Crow. As well as being a Director of Digital Theatre, Delamere was Creative Director of Amnesty International across various media, arts, and Theatre Projects and campaign initiatives. Delamere is co-founder of Altered States Media producing and developing projects across all creative media.

Tom Shaw is a producer and project manager who has worked within the fields of live events, commercials, television and radio. He has worked with a variety of high-profile clients such as the Sony Radio Academy Awards, the BBC Jazz Awards, Classic FM, the Radio Academy, HMV, Music Industry Trust, NABS, Women In Film and Television and Waterstone's. Shaw worked at Amnesty International as projects coordinator on arts and media projects and initiatives. Shaw also has experience in shooting, editing and producing commercial film and video for broadcast and commercial use. As well as being a Director of Digital Theatre, he is co-founder of Altered States Media producing and developing projects across all creative media.

Digital Theatre.com has been built with a variety of technologies to provide the user with the best platform for delivery. The entire application is hosted in a secure and scalable environment with servers running the latest Windows and Adobe software. Adobe Rights Management ensures top level digital copyright protection. SSL site encryption provides high-level security guaranteeing the privacy of customer and payment information. The use of new and emerging front-end technologies means we are able to provide the richest possible user experience with short development times. For a more detailed explanation please see notes to editors.

Digital Theatre's brand identity, website design and trailers have been created by branding and advertising agency Addiction London, www.addictionworldwide.com

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