Abstract/Summary

Livecasting is an umbrella term for a type of event cinema where live or pre-recorded performance is streamed into cinema. My particular area of interest is in the broadcast of live theatre performances. Since the launch of National Theatre Live in 2009, the contemporary era of UK livecasting has seen increases in both the number of broadcasts from major arts institutions and tickets sold. In over a decade livecasts have become a significant feature in the country’s cultural landscape. Despite this, there has yet to be an extended and comprehensive exploration of the processes and conventions of livecasting. This thesis is a multidisciplinary research project that positions livecasting as a hybrid, intermedial form that remediates theatre performance in ways that demand attention and analysis. Drawing on critical concepts from film, theatre and media scholarship and beyond, this thesis will also combine textual analysis and performance analysis to explore the medium hybridity of UK livecasts from 2009 onwards, with a focus on the creation of a unique live experience that resists categorisation. The central questions of this thesis are: what conventions have been established and are continuing to evolve in livecasting and why, and what does this hybrid medium offer audiences beyond the chance to watch a live theatre performance in the cinema? To address these questions, this thesis will look at all aspects of livecasts including paratextual material, visual conventions and liveness. Starting at the beginning of this newest era of livecasting, this thesis will cover a period of change and development, including the sudden adaptation required by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will end by looking to the future as this hybrid medium continues to respond to its contexts of production and reception.