London’s newest symposium, Soho Green Rooms, delved into the future of live entertainment and theatre last week. From 16-18 July at Soho’s Underbelly Boulevard, industry leaders and experts gathered to explore and debate the latest trends and concerns in theatre and live entertainment. Attendees included design studios, art and creative directors, producers, lighting and sound designers, technical directors, and more.

DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS
Model Practice and Positive Disruption

The opening panel, featuring Kate Bailey, Rebecca Brower, Mark Dakin and Leo Warner, emphasised the necessity of disruption for innovation. The discussion was highlighted by Kate Bailey’s exciting announcement of the upcoming Taylor Swift exhibition at the V&A Museum, launching this week.

AI, Artivism, and Authenticity

Rebecca Brower, Trevor Nichol, Dan Shipton, and Chiara Stephenson explored balancing AI integration with authenticity. They emphasised the growing demand for genuine experiences and discussed the potential and current limitations of virtual reality in live entertainment.

Second Sight: Pre-visualising the Future

Michael Harpur, Ryan Metcalfe and Tom White led a discussion on the benefits of LiDAR laser scanning and pre-visualisation technologies, showcasing how these innovations are transforming production planning and collaboration in the industry.

DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS
The Wow Factor

Ryan Amstad, Rebecca Brower, Rob Casey, and Piers Shepperd shared insights on creating the ‘wow’ factor. They stressed the importance of seamless technology integration to captivate audiences without them noticing the technical aspects.

London Calling!

Rob Casey and Ben Cooper discussed the evolving demands of modern events and the expanded role of show callers. They highlighted the value of generative AI and the shift towards viewing theatre professionals as multi-disciplinary creatives.

Associated Talent and Paths to the Future

Liz Botros, Rob Casey, George Cheeseman, Gareth Hulance, Stuart Porter, Bryan Raven, and Matt Veitch addressed the lack of diversity in production design roles. They emphasised the importance of gaining varied experience and the need for apprenticeships and in-work training as alternatives to traditional degrees.

DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS
Sustainability

The final day focused on sustainability, with panels moderated by Bloomberg’s Douglas Wong and featured guest speakers including Phoebe Currie, Amber Etra, Trevor Nichol, Tom Piper, Bryan Raven, Carol Scott, and Mark Stevenson. Discussions centered on reducing carbon outputs and promoting sustainability across all business aspects. The importance of collaboration, health and safety, colleague development, and community engagement were key themes.

Elsewhere at Soho Green Rooms, Alice Afflick-Mensah, Nevy Kusokora, Gem Johnson, Rosie Stroud, and Seeta Mistry-Cos led an ASDP seminar on advancements in diversity and our current progress. Throughout the three-day event, there were also demonstrations showcasing cutting-edge technologies revolutionising live entertainment and theatre. Highlights included Digital Project Ltd, which presented the latest in projection technology, and software developer Vectorworks, which demonstrated how creatives can present designs using Meta’s Odyssey Headset.

Presented by Ammonite Studios, Soho Green Rooms, the UK’s newest live event symposium exploring the future of live entertainment and theatre, will return to London in 2025.