The Social Opera House is the first fully virtual opera theatre ever made: it doesn’t have a physical location, it only and solely exists online.
Seemingly, The Streaming Theatre is the first entirely virtual prose theatre in the world.
It is said that theatre (from the Greek verb “theáomai”, “to watch”) only exists insofar as someone watches and someone is watched. In practice, theatre is the connection between the public and the actor.
Likewise, Internet and the new technologies offer each one of us a continuous connection. Nowadays we are all always connected and co-present in a virtual place, where the enlarged and global Web community can meet whenever and wherever.
We asked ourselves: does theatre really only exist when an actor and his audience physically meet in the same place? Couldn’t we take this ancient form of entertainment to a new stage? Couldn’t we make a 2.0 version, in a constant exchange between the two realities the contemporary man lives in, the physical and the virtual one?
"We need new forms of expression. We need new forms, and if we can't have them we had better have nothing."
Therefore: may the curtains open to this new quest! How will the theatre of the future be? Will it still be called "theatre"? Or will it be a new genre, capable of merging writing, music, dance, figurative arts, cinema, but also science, technology, physical, augmented and virtual realities?
New technologies, particularly the Web, are often used as a marketing resource to promote personal activities, but rarely they serve as a medium for artistic creation.
Scenography and 3D virtual theatrical architectures, live streaming public, capable of influencing the actor in front of them with its presence and its reactions, crowdsourcing, Wiki technology and 2.0 Web applied to the writing process and to direction, seriality applied to the theatrical narration… All these are only few of the methods which we could use in search for innovative forms of a renewed level of interaction between the actor and the public.
We believe that the new opera reality shouldn’t only go through a renovation of its form, but also of its repertory. This is why each project we make or host will be categorically original and specifically thought-out for this genre, something still to explore.
Not necessarily. Undoubtedly these new operas will reflect and analyse modern and contemporary society, with a particular eye on consequences that technological progress has on all of us. Having said that, even a revisited classical piece is welcome to our project. What matters is that the subject or the means narration reflect the connection between the contemporary man and new technologies.
If you want to know more about the phylosophy of our theatre, download our "Handbook of instructions for a proper use of The Social Opera House and The Streaming Theatre".
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The Banker, the first opera series ever realized, will launch our research project in the field of opera theatre and will lead the way for many other future projects.
THE BANKER
Web Opera Series
An original project by Alberto Cara and Stefano Simone Pintor
made and produced with the support of Retropalco srl.
Episode 0 – Pilot
Language – English with Subtitles
Available Subtitles – English, Italian, French and German
Story by Alberto Cara and Stefano Simone Pintor
Libretto by Stefano Simone Pintor
Music by Alberto Cara
Edizioni Sconfinarte
Conductor – Alessadro Cadario
Director - Stefano Simone Pintor
Carlo Checchi - Baritone: Walter J. Conrad
Paolo Cauteruccio - Tenor: Jacob Gilbert
Lucrezia Drei - Soprano: Lena Stevens
Set and Costumes – Alberto Allegretti
Make Up – Chiara Radice
Lighting and Photography – Giulio Oldrini e Virginio Levrio
Video Editing – Virginio Levrio
SteadyCam, Crane, Slider and Specials Operator – Davide Puzziferri
Sound, Recording, Mixing and Mastering – Andrea Pestarino
Orchestra
Violin – Igor Riva
Violin – Diego Ceretta
Viola – Irina Balta
Violoncello – Claudio Giacomazzi
Double Bass – Andrea Sala
Clarinet – Chiara Percivati
Trombone – Mattia San Lorenzo
Piano – Marta Ceretta
Percussion – Marco Scolari
Technical Sponsors – VAS, Cavalli Musica
Special thanks to: Davide Montorio, Michele Cataneo, Ian Burton, Mara Andreetto, Ekaterina Zimina, Sara Temporin, Mattia Minardi, Ginevra Danielli, Emma Buccelloni, Giancarlo Montorio, Mayor Dr. Gino Spiota and the town of Monastero Bormida (AT – Italy)
The Social Opera House and The Streaming Theatre are twin theatres whose mission is to promote various projects capable of merging theatre or other ancient arts with new Information Technologies and the Web. Wishful to maintain a free usage for both artists and viewers, The Social Opera House and The Streaming Theatre decided to base their fundraising on crowdfunding, thanks to the PDB Network platform by Produzioni dal Basso, published on our websites.
The Social Opera House, together with its twin theatre, The Streaming Theatre, is a productions container for innovative artists from all over the world. Anyone can submit his/her project, whatever genre it may be (provided that it should be original and never performed before).
Our staff of Art Directors will act as moderator to verify whether the project is in line with our artistic research to ensure a constant high quality season.
Take a look at some of the projects that are receiving funding on our Crowdfunding Network by Produzioni dal Basso.
Once approved, the project can access to the fundraising through our crowdfunding platform. This way not only the artist will be able to obtain the necessary funds to make his/her own opera, but also each viewer will feel responsible to give a contribution through a free donation. This means that anyone can access the opera programme freely, but it also implies that if you get passionate enough about one of them, you will surely make your offer, ensuring that the opera will be completed. Additionally, crowdfunding is the perfect why to maintain that kind of proactivity that the theatrical audience naturally has: in fact, through its funding, the public itself, and not our staff of Art Directors, will establish what opera should be inserted in the season of our theatre and thus choose what to see. And this will contribute to make our theatre a free and democratic space!
Due to its sole online existence, The Social Opera House and The Streaming Theatre are always accessible theatres: in any place, at any time, from whoever wants to (may they be professionals in the theatrical or artistic field or simply enthusiastic public). Having no physical boundaries, The Social Opera House and The Streaming Theatre are the perfect channel to give world wide visibility to a project. They represent an alternative organisation, independent from the ordinary festivals and big production houses: the perfect tool to discover the latest unconventional works or more generally to be updated on what is new in the artistic world.
Do you want to know more or give us advices on The Social Opera House and The Streaming Theatre? Would you like to work with us?
Are you an artist and would you like to submit your project to be included in the programme?
Send us an email at
info@socialoperahouse.org.
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