THE SPACE: THEATRE OF SURVIVAL Narrated by James Earl Jones is Coming to BroadwayHD

BroadwayHD announced today that they will be bringing The Space: Theatre of Survival to their platform for its exclusive U.S. debut on February 17th. Narrated by iconic actor James Earl Jones and directed and produced by Dan Poole (Muse of Fire, Black Matter- with Giles Terera) and Mark Street, the film charts the uplifting and lost history of a theatre company that challenged the racist apartheid era Government of South Africa in the 1970s. Featuring rare archive footage and original photography, The Space: Theatre of Survival tells the story of visionary Brian Astbury, a co-founder of this groundbreaking theatre workshop, who brought together actors from all races to challenge the regime and imagine the story of a different South Africa.

This documentary follows Brian's return to South Africa from London (where he made his home in 1979) and his exploration of the forgotten story of The Space Theatre. It looks at how one venue would become the "Theatre of Survival" for so many and help to cultivate a new theatrical future for the country, birthing international hits such as Sizwe Bansi is Dead and The Island. It charts the building of a theatre, the oppression from the state towards the non-white theatre artists, the despicable arrest of John Kani and Winston Ntshona after winning double Tony awards in New York, the rise in troubles, the sadness at the eventual closing of the theatre and the birth of new theatre artists from this closing. The film also takes a look at the young actors of today inspired by the successes of this theatre's legacy.

The film was directed and produced by Dan Poole and Mark Street. In addition to Astbury, Kani, and Ntosha, the film features Oscar Nominated Richard E. Grant, the first published black South African female playwright Fatima Dike, Award winning writer Athol Fugard, multiple award-winning satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys, and Nomhle Nkonyeni. The Space: Theatre of Survival was created over a seven-year period using rare archive footage, original photographs (taken by Brian himself), recent interviews, modern day footage of Cape Town and Johannesburg and over 25 interviews filmed over 20 years ago by legendary space member Percy Sieff. It was executive produced by Nic Fine, Marlene Dumas and Oscar winning sound mixer Paul Massey, whilst it was co-produced by Louise Dylan and Olivier Award winning Giles Terera MBE. The film has previously played at global film festivals.

Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, co-founders of BroadwayHD said, "The Space: Theatre of Survival is a compelling documentary about how powerful theatre can be, and what impact it can have on society. We are proud to bring this story about this groundbreaking theatre and incredibly brave and talented artists to our service."

The deal to bring The Space: Theatre of Survival to BroadwayHD was brokered by Maura Ford at 7&7.

To learn more about BroadwayHD, visit www.broadwayhd.com.