Digitally Charged Festival is complete!

Digitally Charged Festival is over and it was a big success! 

Andre Pink, Progression Producer shares his experience of curating the festival.

'We have done it! I am still gobsmacked we did it. It was all rather quick: 7 seven weeks from idealisation to realisation. Our 'first Glastonbury' was a mixture of a sprint and a marathon but during Covid, as a producer, I was able to focus on this single project in June and July. 

The initial goal was modest: showcasing 6 shows max and we ended up having 22! That is simply because the offers by the emerging artists were too good and that my impetus to create the festival; Live Performance Matters No Matter What, echoed with others.  

Although separate and in front of our own devices, we were together. The festival created a network of like-minded artists, a community of people exploring the immense possibilities and limitations of making and presenting work this way. Overall, I feel super excited about where digital performance can go; the ways that virtual spaces lend themselves for immersive work, how audiences have to actively engage with the work, how It can break access barriers, how it can bring people who are far close. It makes me want more and see how far this can go.  

Tramshed showcased two pieces of work during the festival – an improvisation lab and performance from our Reach group (insert link). Supporting these opening sessions I felt butterflies in my tummy before both performances and I craved to hear the audience's reaction.  

There is still so much to figure out: how to market the work,  charge for it, risk assess a show, which platforms, what it the best tech, etc… etc… At times I felt like an early explorer in search of a route to new worlds: scary but absolutely exciting to feel you are venturing into something new. It was pure adrenaline!

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