INTERVIEW | Ryan Carter, Creative Director of Digital Projects at Barn Theatre.

When we consider what impact the pandemic has had on the theatre industry since last March, it is catastrophic for all those whose livelihood depend on it. Barn Theatre is one theatre that’s been a light at the end of the tunnel as it began transferring/creating projects, digitally. Over 330,000 audience members have watched their online theatrical content during lockdown, including their virtual reality production of Marlowe’s Edward II.

Their success is awe-inspiring, offering a glimmer of hope as well as fresh ideas for how this industry can adapt and still offer the joy people go to the theatre for. Barn Theatre will definitely be a organisation that will continue to reach new audiences, from the comfort of their homes in months and years to come. Hopefully it will also encourage other organisations in the UK to create work in this format too.

Back in September, Ryan Carter was appointed as Creative Director of Digital Content. Up until then he was an actor and co-created the online concert Turn Up!. His role now will help the Barn Theatre in developing the digital theatre content, with a focus on innovation. I got the opportunity to chat with Ryan about his role as well as Barn Theatre’s upcoming digital digital musical theatre, The Secret Society of Leading Ladies which begins streaming 22 Feb until 7 March.

Can you start by introducing yourself and letting us a little bit about what it is that you do?

I’m Ryan Carter, I’m a Creative Director at the Barn Theatre. Technically I am the Creative Director of Digital Projects but of those digital products I have a focus on the innovation and progression of musical theatre. 90% of what I do is about finding a new way to present a pre-existing format like theatre or concerts or a gig. It’s all about finding a new way of presenting that information that might align more with modern day audiences.

The Barn Theatre have been working tirelessly to provide digital productions throughout the pandemic, what motivated you as a team to do this? 

I only joined the theatre in October. There was definitely a desire for the theatre to keep the wheels turning, they wanted to put something out there so the organisation was producing some kind of work. The theatre have always had the tech to be able to do this kind of stuff but I think it was like secondary thing during lockdown.

It went down really well during lockdown. They realised they were good at it and not many other people were doing it as well as we do. So let’s solidify them and invest in it long term. That’s when I was taken on board and now I’m the person who looks after it. Their audience is also really supportive so I think it was a way of them remaining connected to them.

Do you think digital work for Barn Theatre will be something they continue to produce past pandemic/when theatres reopen?

100%. I think every post pandemic, I think every live show will still have a digital element to it even as a continuity. I think digital conversations will part of their early process and I don’t think live theatre can move on without that.

A lot of your work has been cancelled due to the pandemic, how do you continue to motivate and inspire you in the hope of theatres reopening soon?

I got really lucky. I’m an actor and my first project with the Barn Theatre was as a performer in their summer production, BarnFest. It was during that I met the team and had digital conversations, it was something I specialise in on the side so it made sense. I had one project with the Curve in June last year which got pushed really early on, before lockdown. Since then because I made a name for myself as a digital advocate for musical theatre I’ve got some work. I’ve landed a job in the middle of a pandemic. It’s hard because I’m making projects and constantly looking at what the landscape is looking like.

What was the creative process like for The Secret Society of Leading Ladies?

I pitched it as a version that when the audience are buying a ticket to the concert they would select who they wanted and they would watch that as an entirety. It would still be custom built but interactive, but then I quickly released that I would have had to do 162 exports of a separate video for a 45-min concert. We released the resources and computer wouldn’t be able to handle that and we’d have to export all of that 162, host the 162 on a web server when all we know people may only watch 15 of them.

I taught myself a new software that makes it more adventure based and interactive. I spoke to software systems, who could do it but didn’t think I could deliver what I wanted. It was a challenge accepted!

There’s 136 individual scenes that go into making it.

Do you have a team helping you edit it altogether?

There’s one editor with me Ben Evans, we both edited it and assembled it together. Then I upload it to the server and ensure it works. Ben was on it solidly for around 10 days, which was intense. There’s codes involved too to ensure it flows how it should for the concert, depending on what people choose. If it’s something that people like, in the future it will be easier to prepare. It’s still musical theatre but it has a fun, interactive element.

How did you decide on the women who have collaborated on this project with you?

Because it’s the first project of its genre, I used 14 people I already had some kind of personal connection with. I wanted to be able to work with people who could be flexible too with the ongoing restrictions that come in and out of place right now for theatres. There’s a few household names but also some that would love to play those roles.

What have been the biggest challenges of putting this show together?

Shooting was hard for me as it got pushed back 3 times. I think a lot of pandemic work is last minute and really difficult with venue hire, lighting, shooting time etc.

What do you hope comes out of this project for the Barn Theatre?

I hope it solidifies a need for gig-theatre. For the industry I hope it solidifies what we are presenting. The next step is to look at audiences and work out ways to custom build to specific demographics.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience The Secret Society of Leading Ladies for yourself. Depending on the ticket choice you go with, this interactive concert will provide you with either a single or multiple opportunities to watch. There are 14 characters and songs making for over 150 possible combinations. A single watch will include 5 performances and a finalé group performance. If you would like access to all 14 songs, you would need to watch the show 3 times with different character choices each time. A Multi Show Ticket would be required for this. A Single Show Ticket will only provide you with one opportunity to watch, you will not be able to see all 14 songs with this. Find out more and book your ticket, from £10.

It streams between 22 Feb until 7 March, visit their website here.