Quay Theatre in Sudbury seeks to build profile of performing arts during coronavirus pandemic with new online livestream project
The Quay Theatre hopes an ambitious online project will encourage people in Sudbury to engage with the performing arts.
The venue in Quay Lane stopped operating in March, after the Government instructed that all theatres, restaurants and bars should close to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
As a result, the arts centre was forced to cancel around 35 of its scheduled events, which had included film, music, drama and live cinema.
While arts venues across the UK remain closed for the foreseeable future, the Quay Theatre plans to provide its visitors with a virtual entertainment experience by streaming shows and events online.
A range of performances staged by the Sudbury Dramatic Society will be showcased on The Quay Online, along with acoustic music sessions, informative talks, children’s shows and a series of community-inspired events.
Following the crisis, theatre manager Sharon Buckler said she felt people would benefit from an initiative which helped to unite the town and the wider area.
“We are quite a small community, but there didn’t seem to be anything that was pulling everyone together,” she said.
As part of the initiative, the theatre plans to launch a new project called the Sudbury Chronicles, which will provide a rare insight into people’s lives in the town, documented through a series of videos.
“We thought it would be lovely to get the community involved to talk about their experiences of living and working in Sudbury,” said Mrs Buckler.
Among the events being staged will be a music competition, with videos of the contestants’ performances streamed online for viewers to watch.
“It can be original material, or song covers,” said Mrs Buckler.
Meanwhile, youngsters aged between four and 18 will have the opportunity to showcase their artistic talents through various creative outlets, including reciting poetry or performing a song.
Praising the town for its continued support, Mrs Buckler added: “People have been absolutely fantastic.”
While the events are free to watch, donations will be welcomed.
To find out more about the new project, go online to www.quaysudbury.com.
