Special Focus on Re:imagination Second Hand Dance's Night Tree
No Looking Back Lizzy Maries, Digital Producer at PDSW, details how they have transformed their digital output
Photos: Left: Red Manhatten; Right: Foteini Christofilopoulou
Lizzy Maries, Digital Producer at PDSW Digitally - if everyone's been evacuated from the ‘old’ world, we don't want to be the people living out of our suitcase and biding our time until we can ‘go back’. We want to be setting up shop in the new world and cultivating a creative community there – and part of that is being really conscious about which parts we invite back in and which we re-make and with whom. If something was a barrier before, or inaccessible to a group of people, well now is the time to redesign that. We’ve learnt lots, fast, about digital retention and what’s appealing. When audiences can watch Hamilton on demand for £6.99, you have to really think about who you are digitally and what you bring to the space – and why people would come to you. Making money is very, very tough. Looking after artists is more important than ever. We’re all negotiating new Covid clauses in contracts and new ways of working
together. One of the PDSW values is kindness, and it’s important that creatively and practically, where we can, we lead with that. In 2021 we’re experimenting with synesthesia and dance, offering certain works to experience with a certain taste or smell delivered to your home. There’s so much potential here for collaboration between dance artists and local makers. In February half term we offered a ‘living room woodland adventure’ where audiences can watch Night Tree by Second Hand Dance and cut out leaves to scatter around them as they watch, take a live dance workshop with the characters and (if they live in Bournemouth) order a ‘woodland picnic’ of hot chocolate and brownies to their door from a local independent food company. We have a freelance Digital Creative role which will start with us this spring, and that will see us work in
a new way with a digital artist. They might be a digital dance specialist, a UX designer, or technologist. We’re excited about the person bringing their practice in to work with us, and influence our digital strategy. Digital programming is here to stay. We know we have audiences who experience barriers to coming to the venue in-person, before and beyond COVID-19. Live performances at 7pm will always be hugely loved, but digital programming can be a great leveller – available to a new parent who needs to be at home with a baby, or to someone living with anxiety for example. What we need to consider, as producers and programmers, is who digital keeps out and why. Who does not have strong internet connection in rural Dorset – is there something we can post them? Does our digital work offer closed captions? BSL? Audio description? That’s our task. The One Dance UK Magazine | Spring 2021 25
