095423/Z/11/Z: Epidemic

Project Summary:The Old Vic plans to commission a new multimedia musical entitled EPIDEMIC that takes concerns about global health and hygiene as its starting point. EPIDEMIC will be performed by The Old Vic's resident Community Theatre Company in 2011· before embarking on a schools tour. This ambitious undertaking will see over 100 cast and crew, 9,000 audience members, and thousands more online and through drama workshops, engage with these contemporary issues. The first stage of this project is a comprehensive research and development phase, which will explore the proposed themes of health and hygiene and test the premise of the larger project. Following an initial consultation stage, when we will interview experts in the field and determine the best approach to the subject matter, we will run a series of public debates. Involving scientific experts, community groups, actors and writers, the EPIDEMIC DEBATES will initiate discussion, stimulate interest in these topics and provoke creative responses from specially-commissioned writers. The latter will form the basis of the proposed musical. By embarking on this R&D phase we aim to identify the most effective way of making the EPIDEMIC project scientifically accurate and enlightening; relevant for the target audience; and engaging for school groups and community participants from the widest possible demographic. The EPIDEMIC R&D phase will be broken down into four stages each designed to ensure the content of the final production is authentic, it speaks to a diverse audience and the project as a whole will be of lasting value.

Grant Holder:Mr Steven Winter

Organisation:The Old Vic

Financial Year:2010/2011