Panto Live, the company behind the groundbreaking production Cinderella Live has announced its full cast list. The show is the world’s first live-streamed, fully interactive pantomime and will premiere this holiday season around the world on December 18th-24th. The cast includes Harry Potter star Chris Rankin and a host of familiar faces from British TV, including Jessica Ellis (Hollyoaks) and Kimberly Hart-Simpson (Coronation Street), pantomime veteran Steve Fortune, and renowned Irish busker and Youtube sensation Cuan Durkin.
Panto Live – the UK-based production company behind this Cinderella Pantomime, will be substituting traditional theatre stage scenery with 3D worlds in real-time created with Unreal Engine. This technology has proven its capabilities within Hollywood productions. The visual effects company behind Star Wars, Industrial Light & Magic used Unreal Engine to build entire 3D environments for The Mandalorian, displaying them on giant LED screens surrounding the set. Not only did this mean practically everything could be captured in frame, but it also provided actors with some context to help their performances.
“From the very beginning we set out to produce a pantomime that will make use of the best technology available,” says Producer Ben McNeill. “We have seen plenty of live events with static and lifeless backgrounds, making the watching experience less immersive and enjoyable – they are becoming a thing of the past. Cinderella Live will use animated and vibrant settings, recreating the interactivity of traditional pantomimes, whilst, of course, keeping safe this Christmas season.”
The implementation of real-time virtual sets is just one of the unique features Panto Live is utilizing for this theatrical take on the classic Cinderella story. The Cinderella Live production will also allow audiences at home to influence the performance by interacting with the characters through virtual buttons on their screens. “Being the first theatrical venture to use Unreal Engine has been so exciting,” says Director Charlotte Peters. “This, coupled with the ability for our viewers to interact with the production by clicking and tapping reactions, which we in the studio can hear and respond to, feels like we are further pushing the technological boundaries to return the joy to 2020.” A select few audience members will also be able to participate in the live performance through their webcam.
Producer Lianne Collinson said, “Cinderella Live is much more than creating an interesting pantomime story and placing a few cameras in front of actors. We are not just trying to tick a box, we are truly merging television, theatre, and gaming technologies to bring the best possible experience to both the actors and our audiences.”
Despite the difficulties theatres have been facing during the pandemic, Cinderella Live is an ambitious production like no other and is the first of its kind, with actors performing in real-time and with their actions dictated by the audience’s reactions. As an audience member, you will be able to sing along, cheer and even shout ‘Behind you!’ at a character by pressing fun and innovative colorful buttons on the screen of your devices.
At a time when many actors and creative industries’ workforce find themselves unemployed, Cinderella Live is creating new means of supporting theatre and the TV industry. The production is also partnering with the Film & TV Charity and the Actors’ Children Trust. Both organizations support UK-based creatives affected by the pandemic.
For further information please visit www.pantolive.com & www.pantolive.com/us_canada
Source: PenderPR
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