Magazine: National Theatre, LIVE at IFT

 

Digital technology has changed our lives beyond recognition. I’ve gone from watching three fuzzy channels on a black and white TV set in my boyhood to checking emails on my smart phone, watching films on iPlayer and staying in touch with friends around the globe using Twitter and Skype.

 

Nowhere are these changes more pronounced than in the world of entertainment. People now spend whole evenings surfing YouTube channels or connecting with friends on Facebook, on-line gaming is increasingly popular and for many people a DVD at home has replaced an evening out. Even losing yourself in a good paperback has been transformed with featherweight, anti-glare tablet devices that can hold in excess of a thousand books.

 

So, in this brave new digital world, how do traditional art forms complete? With more reasons to stay indoors, what is the point of taking yourself out to a theatre, cinema or gig to experience live arts or music? The thrill of seeing a live event cannot be beaten, but all too often travel costs and time commitments, especially if travelling to London to see a show, can be off-putting.

 

The National Theatre has come up with one answer to this question, in the form of NT Live – a season of plays, live from the National Theatre stage. Showing in High Definition Digital projection with Dolby Stereo Sound, it’s a unique opportunity to catch some of the best drama around – without the inconvenience of having to travel to London. The plays are transmitted live via a satellite link to cinemas and venues throughout the UK and beyond.

 

 

 

The independent Ipswich Film Theatre (www.iftt.co.uk) has the sole license in Ipswich to screen NT Live events. As a passionate theatre-goer and a Trustee of the Ipswich Film Theatre Trust, I guess I’m a bit biased, but my recent visit to see the NT Live screening of One Man, Two Guvnors was one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve seen in recent years. Not only was it an excellent, witty, fast-paced and brilliantly acted production, but the experience of sitting in a full house at the Ipswich Film Theatre watching a live satellite feed from the South Bank added an extra element of excitement to the evening. I suppose I shouldn’t tell you that the satellite connection was lost for a couple of minutes, but I will. The funny thing was, no one in the audience minded – it brought out a Dunkirk spirit in the audience who collectively groaned when the connection was temporarily lost, and clapped and cheered as soon as it was restored. At the interval, there was a buzz and sense of anticipation for the second half that I can rarely remember experiencing in any theatre bar. It was an evening I’ll remember for a very long time.  And with tickets at only £12 and plenty of free parking in Ipswich after 6pm, it wasn’t an occasion that broke the bank either!

 

The next NT Live screening will be on Thursday 1 December, starting at 7pm. Collaborators is a blistering new play by John Hodges. Set in 1938 Moscow, it depicts a lethal game of cat and mouse through which the appalling compromises and humiliations inflicted on any artist by those with power are held up to scrutiny. Alex Jennings plays Bulgakov and Simon Rusell Beale, Stalin. You can pre-book your tickets now from www.iftt.co.uk where you can also watch trailers of forthcoming films, read insightful film blogs, and subscribe to Ipswich Film Theatre’s weekly e-newsletter. You can also join us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @ipswichftt

 

My fellow IFT trustees and I are hoping it’s going to be a case of short-term pain for long-term gain with the announcement that Waitrose are opening a new shop in part of the Corn Exchange (the building where Ipswich Film Theatre is based) early in 2012. While essential building works are carried out, the Ipswich Film Theatre will be closed – from 28 October until 21 November.   On Tuesday 22 November, we re-open with one of the most critically acclaimed films of recent times – Tinker Tailor Solider Spy starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth. Book your tickets now and watch a trailer from the film at www.iftt.co.uk. 

 

We look forward to seeing you – live, in 3D and in person - at the Ipswich Film Theatre soon.

 

Andrew Burton