When the company’s touring plans were placed on an indefinite hiatus, Hack Theatre decided to look for different ways to work and to invite artists, writers and performers to join them. They were especially keen to explore ways for the arts to address issues around inclusivity and allow them to discuss the inequalities and different experiences highlighted by global lockdown in a current and post Coronavirus world.
The full schedule of artists can be found here.
Hack have created UNMUTE, a series of six fully captioned films from individual artists. The films aim to kickstart a conversation to ensure that the arts are as inclusive as possible and adapt to the ‘new normal’.
Each film gives an engaging glimpse into the diverse experiences of international artists across different artforms, along with never-seen-before short adaptation pieces. Each guest artist also offers up their top tips for creativity in isolation and beyond, sharing their views on how the arts can adapt, how to digitise but not disenfranchise, and why including all voices in the new normal shouldn’t just be a ‘check box’ exercise.
As such the films provide help and advice for both emerging artists and the more experienced, as well as a fascinating glimpse into issue led creativity for anyone interested in modern artistic practice.
The films are all around 30 minutes long. Each consists of a discussion between the artist and Hack Theatre’s Michelle Sewell, their themed top tips for emerging artists and a monologue from the featured artist. They will be released on a daily basis from 20 July, one a day, with each film available to view free at www.hacktheatre.co.uk/unmute from 10am. There will also be an open 30 minute Q&A with the each artist via https://twitter.com/hack_theatre in the afternoon of the day of release. All films will be available to view after launch day at www.hacktheatre.co.uk
The contributing artists all make issue-based work and UNMUTE includes themes of race, gender, disability, sexuality, screen exhaustion, international collaboration and financial inequality. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of their work and the artists explore how these can be central to future arts/cultural practice and provision. Each will also share a truthful short adaptation piece that captures this moment and the need for change.
Watch a short sampler of the films here www.hacktheatre/unmute
