The Yard Announces Live Digital Theatre Festival

The Yard Theatre has announced a day-long programme of new commissioned live digital works by artists across its local, theatre and music programmes. It will take place throughout Sunday 17th May, from lunchtime until late on a new site, Yard Online, which will launch next week.

The programme is entirely live, running across Zoom, 1:1 phone calls, YouTube Live and Animal Crossing.

Events include:

• A Town Hall discussion on the future of theatre, featuring Artistic Director Jay Miller and guest speakers, and hosted by The Yard's Associate Director Anthony Simpson-Pike

• A 1 on 1 performance over the phone by artist Stacy Makishi in which mundane household objects become revelatory

• An online performance of Christopher Green's interactive a??a??a??a??a?? No Show

• An interactive work-out by Marikiscrycrycry aka Malik Nashad Sharpe around horror and claustrophobia during isolation

• A Sunday lunch cookalong with Hackney Wick local Zoe's Ghana Kitchen, hosted by former Yard Young Artist Jemima Mayala and exploring food and The Yard's local community

• A virtual party with collective Eastern Margins exploring a theme of "New Ways of Community" and featuring an after party on Animal Crossing

The programme is entirely free, although The Yard is gratefully accepting any and all donations.

The Yard's Artistic Director Jay Miller:
"The Yard exists to celebrate extraordinary stories, to celebrate liveness and to celebrate people coming together to share an experience. For Yard Online we have commissioned brilliant artists from across our theatre, music and local programmes to create a space where audiences can connect with each other and artists from their own homes."

Alongside Yard Online, The Yard has moved all of its Yard Young Artists programmes for young people aged 4-19 online, as well as many of its regular programmes for local people. It has also been leading initiatives in Hackney Wick including coordinating a team of volunteers to deliver vital resources, including hot meals, food deliveries and medication to vulnerable local people.