Digital Meets Theatre: Next stage of Trumpet adaptation

Project partners: Vanitas Arts, Diva Creative, the Theatre in the Mill (University of Bradford) and Sheffield Hallam University 

Trumpet Tech Setup 2019 from SHU Digital Media Production on Vimeo.

Sheffield-based agency Diva Creative worked with their sister company Vanitas Arts (co-directors Shirley Harris and Amanda Huxtable) to explore an immersive experience for their performance project, Trumpet. 

Based on the book by Jackie Kay, Trumpet combines digital art with theatre, music, dance and poetry. It explores loss and identity and tells the story of jazz musician Joss Moody who, upon death, is discovered to have been raised female.

The project primarily focused on digital testing and audience engagement. Sheffield Hallam University supported the project by providing access to their studios, equipment and technical expertise during the testing phase.

The research helped to determine audience appetite for digital content and storytelling within a theatre production. Digital and media assets were testing using a second screen. The audience were invited to upload live content during the performance.

Through the project, Trumpet demonstrated its potential as an immersive experience through music, dance and powerful drama.

Shirley Harris, director at Vanitas Arts and industry partner on this project, says:

“We wanted to research the impact of combining art, performance and theatre with digital technology. By closely working with our project partners Diva Creative and Sheffield Hallam University, with the support from the team at Theatre in the Mill, we were able to combine our creative, digital and research skills to understand the connection between live and digital storytelling.

The project has helped us to explore how Trumpet could be a fully immersive digital performance in the future.”

Categories: Performance, Technology