Networks, Society, and Polis: Epistemological Approaches on Mediatization

Ilya Kiriya 82 III – Mediatized performing arts During the last 15 years, especially after implementation of some governmental programs on creative industries ( Creative Britain. New Talents for the New Economy , 2008), some massive new forms of performance arts and theatrical performance were raising. First, of all we can see a dramatic growth of such forms of mass theatrical activities as theatrical festival. In general festivals in all fields of performing arts (such as music, humor etc.) became more and more visible and significant in terms of the audience. In the UK, in 2016, the total audience for music festivals was esti- mated 3,9 million people ( Wish You Were Here. The Contribution of the Live Music to the UK Economy , 2017). Per itself the festival business is growing up, and since we have no deal with techni- cal reproducibility (each time artists are playing live), it cannot be entirely considered as part of the cultural industries. But mas- sification of festivals per itself standardizes the performance, its format, and is affecting the creative part of the theatrical produc- tion. Moreover, we can observemore intense cross-sector collabo- ration aimed on reducing costs of the production and sharing the same location for different kind of events. During the last 10 years after proliferation of the high- speed data transmission and HD-video we can see another trend pushing the theatrical production toward the industry. It’s the direct broadcasting of the theatrical performances in movie the- aters which completely brings the theater inside the technical reproducibility and media industry. In 2015, 19% of UK popu - lation watched live-to-digital arts content in cinema and 7% at home (NAYLOR et al., 2016). Suddenly, it contributes much more to the movie industry than to the industry of theater, in turnover but we can make the hypothesis that that transforms the creative process inside the theatrical production and espe- cially its creative part. Since performances should be attractive to the masses abroad and not only on the local level, their choice is very driven by commercial logics. Performances as well as ac- tors should be recognizable by wider public which could affect the choice of actors (they are much more oriented toward movie industry rather than to the theater per itself).