Festival Theatre to live-stream opera and ballet
Linkup with prestigious performing arts institutions announced
Rigoletto will be streamed from Taormina’s Ancient Greek Theatre on 9 July
By Thom Dibdin
Live streamed performances of a ballet and three Verdi operas, from Milan, Paris and Taormina, have been announced as part of the Edinburgh Festival Theatre’s spring and summer seasons.
The four screenings, from three of continental Europe’s most prestigious stages, will be shown via live satellite link on the theatre’s HD cinema screen. The first two, from La Scala in Milan, are on the 13th and 14th of February. Tickets for all four performances go on sale tomorrow, Friday 18 January at 10am (11am by phone).
Announcing the initiative, chief executive, Duncan Hendry said: “The Festival Theatre is already an established venue for theatre, music, dance and opera. The addition of live screenings will extend and enrich our programming capability.”
The opening screening will be Verdi’s Nabucco, followed by Roland Petit’s ballet, Notre Dame de Paris. Two further Verdi operas complete the quartet of screenings. Falstaff will be relayed from the Opéra National de Paris on 12 March. In the summer his Rigoletto will be streamed from Taormina’s Ancient Greek Theatre on 9 July.
The HD screen was first used for the Gala opening of The Illusionist at the EIFF in 2010. The theatre has since hosted a number of gala events and screenings, most notably last year’s UK premiere of the Disney Pixar hit Brave, again at the EIFF, and the simulcast of David Putnam’s Chariots of Fire, screened as part of the London 2012 Festival.
The HD screen in use – Lord Puttnam is interviewed before the screening of Chariots of Fire
The live screenings have been programmed in conjunction with Rising Alternative, an international distributor of specialist digital content. The Festival Theatre is currently their only venue partner in Scotland. Other stages around the world from which they stream performances include Nederlands Dans Theater, San Francisco Ballet and the Vienna State Opera.
The Festival theatre is Scotland’s largest digital cinema. If these screenings are successful, then future screenings from around the world are likely.
Hendry added: “We look forward to welcoming dance and opera fans to these upcoming events and look forward to developing our cinema programme further in future seasons.’
Listings
Nabucco (Giuseppe Verdi) Live from La Scala, Milan, Wed 13 Feb 2013, 7pm.
Notre Dame de Paris (Roland Petit) Live from La Scala, Milan, Thurs 14 Feb 2013, 7pm
Falstaff (Giuseppe Verdi) Live from Opéra National de Paris, Tue 12 Mar 2013, 6.30pm
Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi) Live from Taormina’s Ancient Greek Theatre, Tue 9 July 2013, 8.30pm
Tickets £25/£23 (conc)
Tickets for all four performances on sale Friday 18 Jan, 10am from the Festival Theatre box office in person or www.edtheatres.com. Phone sales on 0131 529 6000 go live at 11am.
ENDS
