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Millennium Centre launches digital-first performance venue

Arts Professional
2 min read

Wales Millennium Centre (WMC) has unveiled plans for a digital-first performance venue as well as facilities for production, rehearsal and training as part of a broader development.

Plans for the 550-capacity space, dedicated to immersive storytelling, will also see 10,000 participants engaged in creative training over the next five years.

A site opposite WMC has been suggested for the venue in collaboration with Cardiff Council and as part of the broader Cardiff Live development, which will also see the construction of new office spaces for Cardiff Council, exhibition halls and shared community areas.

WMC is the Welsh partner of the three-year cross-UK Immersive Arts consortium, which is aiding the organisation with research into immersive technologies, including motion capture and games engines used to make virtual and augmented reality apps.

Immersive Arts will be awarding £3.6 million in grant funding to artists based in the UK between 2024 and 2027 and, as part of the commissioning process for the venue, WMC will also be launching a new award for an artist to develop their vision over a year.

Graeme Farrow, chief content officer at WMC, said: “Storytelling is always developing. This new space will continue our work at the intersection of technology and the arts, allowing artists to explore and experiment with multimedia approaches to telling stories.

“Its flexibility will ensure that as new tools and technologies emerge, artists will always have access to the cutting-edge resources they need to push boundaries. We’re excited to offer even more creative opportunities to young people and artists, and to create a venue that evolves with the ever-changing digital landscape.”

Councillor Russell Goodway, cabinet member for Investment and Development added, “This project is a big part of our ambition for Cardiff Live and Atlantic Wharf – driving the next phase of Cardiff Bay as a cultural destination. It will epitomise our approach of supporting production as well as performance, providing facilities to develop our own cultural offer as well as our local communities.”