THEATRE
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Attention-grabbing AV attracts the newest generation of cinema-goers
Mean Girls only emphasises AV’s increased standing in the theatre space, and Young believes that “we’re definitely going to see more LED go into theatre productions – especially now that the cost is at a point where budgets can actually accommodate it. “We’re also seeing a blurring of the lines between cinema and stagecraft, with younger audiences used to and therefore seeking more dynamic and fast-paced forms of entertainment.” A SELFIE OF DORIAN GRAY Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is a creative’s dream when it comes to source material. A classic exploration of morality and the consequences of unchecked desires, Wilde’s critique of Victorian society and the duality of human nature invites readers to reflect on pursuing pleasure without regard for ethical boundaries. As discovered by Kip Williams, award-winning Australian writer and director of theatre and opera, the themes within the 135-year-old tale couldn’t be more applicable to society in 2025. Following a successful career directing major theatre and opera productions, Williams’ ‘cine-theatre’ trilogy of The Picture of Dorian Gray , Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
What Williams alludes to is the striking solo performance format of the show, with the one actor taking on all 26 roles, both on stage and via pre-recorded content. Emmy Award winner Sarah Snook – star of the HBO smash hit Succession – will reprise her role for the Broadway production, having won an Olivier for the London show. “There’s never a moment where you’re not connected with the actor either live on stage or on the screens, and their body becomes the entire imaginative universe in playing every single one of the characters. “One of the big set pieces in the show is a dinner party sequence, where
and Dracula brought him international acclaim, leading The Economist to call his work ‘the future of theatre’. His groundbreaking production of Dorian Gray delivers an explosive interplay of live performance and video in an astonishing collision of form. It’s due to make its Broadway debut in March 2025. “The piece is appropriately wild in its paradoxical deployment of form,” explains Williams, “because the bedrock of it is an ancient, analogue model of theatre, in which an actor comes to the audience to directly tell them a story. The audience then stays connected with that same actor throughout the entire two hours of performance.”
Kip Williams’ boundary-pushing visuals for Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook, have been hailed as theatre of the future
I’m having to simultaneously make a feature film and a full- length piece of theatre”
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