Sky Arts Brings Live Drama Back To Television

Six bestselling authors; five established directors, twenty astonishing actors, and six brand new plays - broadcast live in high definition...introducing Sky Arts: Theatre Live!

This July, Sky Arts brings live drama back to British television for the first time in twenty years as some of the most renowned names from literature, film and television come together to stage six theatrical world premieres, live weekly, from 8th July, 9pm Sky Arts 1 & Sky Arts 1 HD.

Sky Arts Theatre Live! will see six highly successful authors make their debuts as playwrights collaborating with lauded directors and high-profile actors to create original plays, performed to a live audience in the purpose built Sky Arts Theatre Live! studio. The Sky Arts Theatre Live! company is led by artistic director Sandi Toksvig, and includes author Kate Mosse, actress Pauline Collins and director John Alderton.

Rehearsals for Sky Arts Theatre Live! will begin at The Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond in June, giving the creative team just three weeks to not only mount a brand new theatre production, but to stage a live television programme. The programme, hosted by Sandi Toksvig, will be introduced with unparalleled, behind the scenes access to the ‘making of' each production, charting the highs and lows of producing for stage and screen simultaneously.

Following the world premiere performance of each play, both the audience at home and in studio will be encouraged to offer their response and reaction, adding another dimension to the traditional theatrical experience. The full creative team behind each play - actors, writer and director - will discuss the process in a live post-show discussion.

Sky Arts Theatre Live! is the first major drama initiative for Sky Arts, and represents a watershed for theatre on TV. Marrying the excitement of going to the theatre, with the accessibility and audience range of television, the unique format empowers audience to engage with live drama as they would in a theatre space, whilst simultaneously providing the critique, comment and discussion forum that television offers. Each play will be shot in high definition, further enhancing the theatrical experience for the viewer.

"For the first quarter-century of British Television drama was live. Live drama has a rawness and immediacy in which anything can and did happen including on one sad occasion the death of the leading actor (Gareth Jones in ‘Underground' on Armchair Theatre in 1958). Now Sky Arts brings back genuine ‘reality' television - drama as it happens, whatever happens. Vibrant, immediate, warts and all. I started my career in live television. It has an energy that cannot be found elsewhere and I am delighted to be going back." - Sandi Toksvig

"Sky Arts Theatre Live! is, quite simply, one of the most exciting projects we've got coming up this year - and that's saying something, considering it's up against Glyndebourne and Antony Gormley's One & Other," comments John Cassy, channel director for Sky Arts. "The current debate around cultural television programme will rage on, of course, but we're absolutely convinced that a project as innovative and entertaining as Sky Arts Theatre Live! proves just how committed we are at Sky Arts to ensuring that arts on TV thrives."

Sky Arts Theatre Live! is the flagship programme of Sky Arts' theatre season for summer 2009, which will see the channel expand on its theatre offering with commissions such as Theatreland and documentaries including In The Company of Actors.

Each writer has been chosen for the quality of their work and the variety in their preferred subject matter, ranging from detective fiction to political intrigue, issue-led drama to contemporary comedy. Each play will feature two, three but no more than four actor who will rehearse at The Orange Tree Theatre for two weeks before moving into the Sky studio. Each performance will be broadcast live in front of an invited audience of about 140 people. Once in production, the performance will not stop for any reason (line fluffing, set issues, technical difficulties, actor illness) exactly as would occur in a live theatre. In the event of a problem, a solution will be devised according to the circumstances but the show will go on.

The Creative Team
Artistic Producer: Sandi Toksvig
Executive Producer: LINDA AGRAN
Production Company: THE COMPANY PRESENTS/ Mary Hamilton, John Harris
Theatre Director: Patrick Sandford
Further Directors to be contracted
Casting Agent: Joyce Nettles
Production Designer: Hayden Griffin
Set Designer: Robin Don
Rehearsal Facilities: The Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond

Sky is all about providing choice. That includes giving arts lovers the content they are passionate about, and making great arts accessible to everyone.

Now, with four arts channels in nearly 9 million customer homes across the UK and Ireland, Sky Arts has doubled output to 36 hours every day of the week on Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2, with Sky Arts 1 HD and Sky Arts 2 HD offering the best programmes in glorious high definition.

Sky wants to support the arts and make them accessible off as well as on screen, to the broadest possible audience. Recent programme highlights include The Book Show - the UK's only television programme dedicated to books, hosted by Mariella Frostrup; Songbook, a series on some of the greatest songwriters of the day; and Brush with Fame which sees reformed art forger John Myatt paint celebrities such as John Cleese and Robin Gibb in the style of world famous artists.

Sky Arts have built a set of partnerships with leading arts organisations and are one of the largest corporate supporters of the arts in the UK. For example, Sky Arts is:

* Broadcast partner of the Hay Festival (where Mariella Frostrup broadcasts from every day of the festival with The Book Show);
* Season sponsor at English National Opera 2003 - 2009 (10 new productions this season, including the Sky Focus, L'amour de loin).
* National Tour sponsor of English National Ballet (the last season saw the ENB bring Manon to the stage for the first time in its history).

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