The Belgrade Theatre has released the first images for SEAVIEW, a new digital television series created, produced, and filmed in the West Midlands by Strictly Arts Theatre and Belgrade Film and Digital, as part of the Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 programme.
SEAVIEW, from an original idea by Corey Campbell, one of the Belgrade’s Co-Artistic Directors for 2021, created using theatrical devising techniques (and conceived before Covid-19 took the world of theatre online), will have its red carpet premiere screening in the Theatre’s Main Stage on Weds 10 Nov 2021, and then screened between 11 – 13 Nov in the B2 auditorium.
SEAVIEW is a family drama with an unsettling supernatural element that is rooted in the experiences of working class communities in the West Midlands. Two sides of one family struggle against the crushing pressure to escape the often brutal reality of their lives.
Steven is a young graduate destined for great things. Tormented by his gift for prophecy and haunted by his dreams, he fights to break the cycle of lies, crime and violence that has ensnared his family, but finds himself in an impossible position.
When one seismic event throws the family’s world into chaos, big decisions need to be made.
SEAVIEW celebrates a Black working class aspirational family and all the things they come up against on their journey to achieve great things.
SEAVIEW was developed using a unique Writers Room project which involved local emerging writers from the West Midlands. Each writer has written an episode alongside creator Corey Campbell, Head Writer Sophie Ellerby, and Development Producer Sofia Stephanou. Annabel Brightling, Rory Rawson and Sophia Griffin have written the first three episodes, with future episodes coming from David Payne, Daniel Anderson and Sam Kurd.
Many of the production team, cast, and crew are from the Midlands, with the aim being to help develop a thriving creative industry within this community. The process involved training the next generation of filmmakers and giving them valuable experience on set.
Corey Campbell said, “SeaView is a pioneering collaboration between the worlds of theatre and film, applying theatrical devising techniques to create a truly unique television drama. Both in the story we are telling and the way that we are working, SeaView will be unlike anything you’ve seen before.
“By bringing together some of the West Midlands’ most exciting creative talent, both on and off-screen, we’re aiming to tell a story about the region’s working-class communities that feels honest and authentic, albeit with a supernatural twist. It’s also a chance to build up a local creative network that I hope will continue to flourish long after this project has drawn to a close. Throughout the process, we have created opportunities for up and coming artists and filmmakers to join us on this journey and hone their craft, creating a lasting legacy for the project.”
The first three episodes of this six-part series have already been filmed.
