Open Theatre stream a series of silent short films devised with participants
If you’re looking for something light-hearted to watch this weekend, then look no further than the latest web stream from our friends at Open Theatre.
Streaming from 2.30pm today (Saturday 25 July), Cops and Robbers (and other silent films) is a series of short films created by young theatre-makers with learning disabilities from across Birmingham and Coventry.
The title film, Cops and Robbers, was created at the Belgrade Theatre as part of a devising and film-making project, The Silent Treatment. Run by Open Theatre in partnership with Told by an Idiot, the project invited young people from the West Midlands to learn skills in silent cinema and slapstick techniques through a series of workshops at the Belgrade last year. The group then worked together to develop their own short film, shot at the Belgrade and other Coventry locations. The film was directed by Stephen Harper, and filmed and edited for Film City by Adam Robertson.
Other projects featured in the stream include What’s in the Bag? a collection of short clips devised at home by Open Theatre participants from Open Mac, One of a Kind and The Friday Group; and The Bag, a film created by Open Theatre’s Jake Jarvis, which was recently featured on Channel 4’s Random Acts.
All of these films will be free to watch, but Open Theatre are asking viewers to donate what they can to their #OpenTheatre30 campaign, to enable them to continue providing creative opportunities for young people with learning disabilities.
Cops and Robbers (and other silent films) will be available to watch on YouTube from 2.30pm on Saturday 25 May. You can set a reminder now below, or click here for an audio described version.
You can find out more about what Open Theatre have been up to during lockdown in our interview with Create Lab associate Melissa Daly, or read more about The Silent Treatment project here.
