How digital displays are electrifying theatre production
A new wave of theatre production is making the most of large format digital displays – and wowing audiences and critics as it does so.
It’s not just business and retail environments that are being revolutionised by digital signage and displays – art and cultural experiences are being brought into the 21st century thanks to a more creative use of large format screens.
The National Theatre’s award-winning adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is one such example. The play, adapted by Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon's novel, is directed by Marianne Elliott and differs from traditional productions of the play in that the entire story is performed on large format digital displays – from the back wall to the side stages.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a digital masterpiece
These aren't merely shortcuts to traditional stage scenes, however. The digital nature of the set is a key element of the production itself. Set ‘in-the-round’– meaning the audience sits around the stage, viewing from all angles – the play has won both Olivier and Tony Awards for its production techniques, which mixes LED and traditional theatre lighting with on-stage projections and large format screens.
The digital set, created by renowned set designer Bunny Christie, is a key factor of the production. Seemingly a series of simple geometric squares, the stage pulses with energy, boosted by lighting and projections of numbers, stars, co-ordinates and locations, reflecting the main character’s fascination with mathematics and order.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time isn't the first adaptation to make use of such techniques, though. Digital theatre production has been a recognised art form since the early 1980s, and even before this, art collectives such as the Fluxus and avant-garde producer John Cage embraced digital screens and technology in their art and performance work in the 1960s.
More recently the Flux Theatre ensemble, based in New York, produced more than 20 plays and projects that make use of large format digital screens.
The play is set 'in the round' with the screens visible from all angles[
In 2014, the world famous Saddler’s Wells Theatre in Islington, London, underwent a refurbishment with digital display at its heart. Not only does the new theatre now incorporate signage and way-finding systems on digital displays, but promotional messaging and advertising content can now be incorporated into the theatre experience.
Incorporating dressing rooms, offices, the café, foyer, corporate areas and meeting rooms, the Tripleplay solution makes use of the venue’s IP network to deliver information and signage content directly to more than 60 screens within the theatre, as well as the two main performance spaces.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time has been called ‘a phenomenal combination of storytelling and spectacle’ and has been awarded seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Play. On 6 September 2015 the play was broadcast live to more than 160 cinemas in the UK and 350 worldwide as part of National Theatre Live.
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a digital masterpiece
These aren't merely shortcuts to traditional stage scenes, however. The digital nature of the set is a key element of the production itself. Set ‘in-the-round’– meaning the audience sits around the stage, viewing from all angles – the play has won both Olivier and Tony Awards for its production techniques, which mixes LED and traditional theatre lighting with on-stage projections and large format screens.
The digital set, created by renowned set designer Bunny Christie, is a key factor of the production. Seemingly a series of simple geometric squares, the stage pulses with energy, boosted by lighting and projections of numbers, stars, co-ordinates and locations, reflecting the main character’s fascination with mathematics and order.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time isn't the first adaptation to make use of such techniques, though. Digital theatre production has been a recognised art form since the early 1980s, and even before this, art collectives such as the Fluxus and avant-garde producer John Cage embraced digital screens and technology in their art and performance work in the 1960s.
More recently the Flux Theatre ensemble, based in New York, produced more than 20 plays and projects that make use of large format digital screens.
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The play is set 'in the round' with the screens visible from all angles[
In 2014, the world famous Saddler’s Wells Theatre in Islington, London, underwent a refurbishment with digital display at its heart. Not only does the new theatre now incorporate signage and way-finding systems on digital displays, but promotional messaging and advertising content can now be incorporated into the theatre experience.
Incorporating dressing rooms, offices, the café, foyer, corporate areas and meeting rooms, the Tripleplay solution makes use of the venue’s IP network to deliver information and signage content directly to more than 60 screens within the theatre, as well as the two main performance spaces.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time has been called ‘a phenomenal combination of storytelling and spectacle’ and has been awarded seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Play. On 6 September 2015 the play was broadcast live to more than 160 cinemas in the UK and 350 worldwide as part of National Theatre Live.
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