PERFORMING ARTS

Concept for the HIVE

The Hive

Client: Tom Guthrie, Artistic Director of Music and Theatre for All

THE VISION

What if, alongside our great theatres, concert halls and Arts Centres, the best of our national live performance – theatre, dance, comedy, art and music – was woven into local life; what if you didn’t have to travel far to see it, it didn’t cost the earth, and there was variety and the highest quality; what if every schoolchild had regular access, and everyone felt welcome, no matter their age, background, religion or race?

Live entertainment can be traced back to prehistoric human gatherings around the fireside where communities came together in a warm, secure environment to share a meal and listen to history, myths, legends through the narrative of storytelling, song, dance and music. These occasions were characterised by intimacy, accessibility, and inclusivity, and they fostered a vital sense of belonging and identity. The recent pandemic has underlined how central these things are to what it is to be human, and it is time to reinvigorate, protect and nourish them.

What if every live performance fostered a sense of belonging, processes were shared, creativity encouraged, and storytelling did what it has always been there to do: bind, identify, entertain, educate, stimulate?

What if culture worked with and for people in the heart of their communities in a safe and environmentally friendly way?

A NEW FUTURE FOR LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Introducing the Hive Concept: a revolutionary idea for a national network of performance spaces. Suiting a multitude of art forms, The Hive Concept revolves around the idea of a standardised theatrical stage and lighting rig, called the Hive Core. Similar to the way cinemas have developed a standardised means of projecting film, it provides what all good theatre and storytelling needs, in a financially sustainable and game-changingly accessible way.

The Hive Core can be located in disused buildings – such as closed theatres, or atria of disused office blocks – in parks and urban centres, in or alongside existing arts centres and theatre, and in bespoke buildings. When linked to a national network of similar spaces, it provides a platform for a wide variety of the highest quality touring and local shows: live theatre, opera, comedy, film, community shows, chamber music, folk music, bands, talks.

Each venue can have its own unique identity, decoration, can reflect its community, be surrounded by pop up bars and restaurants, but technically on the inside each one is the same, allowing for greatly reduced get in/tech time for touring companies and bands.

Meanwhile, locally managed and owned, each Hive venue will be available for local schools, festivals and community use. Apprentice schemes, showcase space, local employment opportunities – the Hive has the potential to become the beating, regenerating cultural heart of communities up and down the country.

Globalism and quality on a local scale, economically and culturally viable. A safe, entertaining future.

Tom Guthrie, Artistic Director of Music and Theatre for All