A Telepresence Stage for Disability Performing Arts

在新冠肺炎封锁期间，表演艺术行业是受打击最严重的行业之一，导致剧院持续关闭，导致该行业的许多人长期失业。与许多其他职业一样，表演艺术转向在线平台，如Zoom作为替代渠道。但由于其孤立的视频窗口-盒子限制，表演的可能性有限，迫切需要一个更身临其境、更直观的在线影院环境。最初的网真舞台项目(https://www.telepresencestage.org))结合了视频会议、3D数字舞台设计和在线视频混合技术，由保罗·塞蒙(Pi)和史蒂夫·迪克森(International Co-I)领导，与十家专业戏剧和舞蹈公司合作，开发了一系列适合特定目的的替代解决方案，这些解决方案在新冠肺炎被封锁期间成功用于一系列演出。这个后续项目现在着眼于残障表演艺术部门如何具体使用这些网真舞台解决方案。残疾人早在要求封锁之前就利用了在线交流的好处，而且越来越多地继续这样做。对于许多残疾人来说，禁闭感觉更像是一个公平的竞争环境，因为残疾人和非残疾人都必须在相同的条件下工作和社交，因此受益于当时激增的在线申请、资源和艺术途径的进步。“残障表演艺术的临场感舞台”将直接与英国两家领先的残障表演艺术公司合作，分别是格拉斯哥的天堂之鸟剧院公司和总部位于伦敦的CRIPtic Art。该项目将应用和利用在先前研究期间取得的技术进步，以确定新的特点、技术和专门为残疾表演艺术部门定制的解决方案。两家公司将开展历时四个月的网真阶段驻留计划，以开发独特的公共绩效结果。使用和调整开发的工具和技术，他们将接触和吸引参与者和受众，他们以前由于地理或流动限制而无法接触到这些参与者和受众。演出成果将包括混合解决方案，将现场舞台制作与远程在线远程参与相结合，以及通过国际合作组织和新加坡拉萨尔艺术学院领先的数字表演专家Steve Dixon的持续参与，与新加坡的残疾表演者进行国际合作。这为生产的可能性带来了国际化的维度，而不需要旅行带来的后勤复杂性、成本和碳足迹后果。通过与英国残疾历史月和残疾艺术在线的合作，演出将利用他们的网络和公共平台进行首演，覆盖英国各地的60多个残疾组织和团体，包括残疾权利活动家和政策顾问，以及残疾表演艺术部门和普通公众。后续项目将在一次总结专题讨论会上达到高潮，就成果的益处、可能性和未来应用进行思考和讨论。项目合作伙伴残疾艺术在线将发挥关键的网络和传播作用，利用他们的平台主办研讨会，每月有超过40,000次观看，保证成果的有效参与和传播。此外，残疾艺术在线将利用该平台推广和免费分发《临场感舞台手册》，其中包含对参与公司的量身定做的案例研究，为更广泛的英国残疾表演艺术部门提供全面的资源和参考点。

The performing arts were one of hardest hit sectors during the COVID-19 lockdown, resulting in sustained theatre closures that saw many in the sector out of work for long periods. Together with many other professions, the performing arts turned to online platforms, such as Zoom as an alternative outlet. But with its isolating video window-box constraints, the performance possibilities were limited and a more immersive and intuitive online theatre environment was urgently needed. Using a combination of videoconferencing, 3D digital stage designs and online video mixing techniques, the original Telepresence Stage project (https://www.telepresencestage.org) led by Paul Sermon (PI) and Steve Dixon (International Co-I), worked with ten professional theatre and dance companies to develop a range of alternative fit for purpose solutions that were successfully used in a range of performances during COVID-19 lockdowns. This follow-on project now looks at how these Telepresence Stage solutions could be used specifically by the disability performing arts sector. Disabled people utilised the benefits of online communications long before the demands of lockdown and increasingly continue to do so. For many disabled people, the lockdown felt rather like a 'level playing field', as both disabled and non-disabled people had to work and socialise under the same conditions, and so benefited from the advances in online applications, resources and access to the arts that proliferated at the time. 'A Telepresence Stage for Disability Performing Arts' will work directly with two of the UK's leading disability performing arts companies, the Birds of Paradise Theatre Company in Glasgow and CRIPtic Arts based in London. The project will apply and utilise the technological advances made during the previous research, to identify new features, techniques and bespoke solutions specifically for the disability performing arts sector. The two companies will undertake the tried and tested Telepresence Stage residency programme lasting four months to develop unique public performance outcomes. Using and adapting the developed tools and techniques, they will access and engage participants and audiences they would not have been able to previously due to geographic or mobility restrictions. The performance outcomes will include hybrid solutions, combining live staged productions with remote online telepresence participation, as well as international collaborations with disabled performers in Singapore, through the continuing involvement of the International Co-I and leading digital performance specialist Steve Dixon at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. This brings an international dimension to the production's possibilities without the logistic complexities, costs and carbon footprint consequences of travel. Through partnerships with UK Disability History Month and Disability Arts Online the resulting performances will be premiered using their networks and public platforms, reaching over 60 disability organisations and groups across the UK including disability rights activists and policy advisers, as well the disability performing arts sector and the general public. The follow-on project will culminate in a Concluding Symposium, providing reflections and discussions on the benefits, possibilities and future applications of the outcomes. Project partners, Disability Arts Online will play a key networking and dissemination role by hosting the symposium using their platform, that receives over 40,000 views per month, guaranteeing impactful participation and distribution of the outcomes. In addition, Disability Arts Online will use the platform to promote and freely distribute the Telepresence Stage Handbook, featuring tailored case studies on the participating companies, providing a comprehensive resource and reference point for the wider UK disability performing arts sector.