NEWS RELEASE: Embargo Monday 23 September 2002
****** begins ********
Arts organisations group to recapture audiences lost to cyberspace
- A new collaboration of education departments in all leading UK arts organisations is using
the Internet to reach the young audiences that are abandoning live performances for cyberspace
- The new initiative means to use the web itself to prove there's nothing like the real thing
- Site is formally launched during the week of 23 September
- To celebrate arts organisations are running education activities and events across the UK
As the 'net strengthens its grip on the hearts and minds of
today's youth Britain's dance, theatre and music companies
are noting a rise in the average age of their audiences. The
entire performing arts industry wants to reach tomorrow's
audiences now.
Young people's use of the Internet has grown
exponentially: over 75% of young people use it daily at home
or at school compared with less than 1% ten years ago.
arts4schools
aims to use the internet itself to reach them and prove that
live performance is worth another look.
arts4schools brings
together 150 member arts organisations across the UK, including
English National Ballet, Royal Scottish National Orchestra,
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Royal Exchange, Talawa, Scottish
Opera, Halle, Complicite, Diversions Dance and so on. The
website provides a coherent one-stop shop with information
specifically targeted at schools' audiences: where a set text
is in production; what education activities are on offer,
and so on.
Quality information about the performing arts is
still rare in the digital domain. Yet arts4schools' developers
Maria Evans and Jim Gatten are convinced that within five
years young people's first exposure to the arts will be online.
Commercial Director Jim Gatten said
"Companies have ambitious
plans to extend access to the arts, and are recognising that
the Internet represents the path of least resistance to young
people's hearts. Good online educational material is the perfect
way to reach them".
Member companies are contributing to a
growing central library of interviews with those directly
involved in the performing arts. Already on the site are interviews
with actors such as Robert Glenister and Clare Holman about
how they approached specific roles; Hull Truck has donated
an interview with John Godber; Salisbury Playhouse has donated
background notes on a number of its productions. Even students
are contributing research notes.
Maria Evans, arts4schools'
Executive Director said:
"For too long there has been an acceptance
that a production dies on its last performance. Apart from
the occasional video most things about a production disappear,
including the creative insights. arts4schools can help change
that."
arts4schools will be using the Internet to preserve
these insights for posterity, so future students will be able
to compare how different actors approached the same role.
Maria Evans added:
"If only we'd started this fifty years
ago: we could now compare Laurence Oliver's approach to Hamlet
with John Gielgud's, David Warner's, Kenneth Branagh's and
Adrian Lester's. What a fabulous resource that would be for
young people to use".
For many arts organisations, joining
arts4schools has been an important step. Heather Williams,
Education and Youth Director at Bristol Old Vic commented
that
"We look forward with great anticipation to the launch
of arts4schools in September, and know that involvement in
the site will be a significant step forward for us as an arts
organisation working within the field of education".
The pilot
site has already proved popular: Drama, English, Music and
Performing Arts teachers have discovered arts4schools offers
a better source of material than chasing information across
the world wide web; and students are finding a rich resource
of information about the arts in performance. The site is
being formally launched during the week of 23rd September.
To celebrate the launch member arts organisations are running
events and activities up and down the UK. For these arts organisations,
arts4schools offers a real opportunity to capture the imagination
of young people and persuade them that tonight, rather than
sit at the computer, maybe they'd like to go and see a good
play ...
****** ends ********
Notes for editors
- arts4schools is already available on www.arts4schools.com
- Executive Director Maria Evans has worked across the arts,
including BBC Radio Drama, Cheek by Jowl Theatre Company,
the Royal Shakespeare Company, and as Head of Drama for a
large sixth form college. Development Director Jim Gatten is
also Senior Tutor at Reeltime College, a virtual online education
and training establishment: www.reeltimecollege.co.uk
Contact Maria Evans, Executive Director, arts4schools, PO Box 20076,
London, NW2 1ZQ,
Tel/fax: 020 8201 9124,
email: maria.evans@arts4schools.com
|
