IJAD Dance Company has launched its 2021 live-streamed Open Online Theatre Festival featuring new pieces by performing artists making work specifically for live-streaming. The performances will reflect the artists’ experiences of 2020 in four regions of the UK and also Lebanon, developing their work via online co-creation sessions on the Open Online Theatre platform. 

The Festival presents an exciting mix of new performance and panel discussions at the intersections of performing arts and digital. It is also hosting four panel discussions featuring artists, technologists and researchers where audiences can ask questions via live chat: the festival runs from Monday 1 to Saturday 6 February. 

Exploring the connection of science, movement and technology, and collaborating with specialists and communities, Open Online Theatre enables artists to reach audiences that they otherwise wouldn’t, including curators and programmers, because of venue capacity, accessibility or geography. Open Online Theatre was created to ensure that creativity, physicality and artistry, with the use of technology, continues to evolve. It aims to future-proof the arts sector as a driving force for forward-thinking artists to explore new performing possibilities, and new ways to connect with audiences across the world.