HEART on world stage

Margaret River performed on the world stage on Saturday evening with audiences from WA, SA, NSW, QLD, NT, VIC and the United Kingdom tuning in to a live stream of the 2020 South-West Shorts held at the Margaret River HEART.

The sell-out event received 160 in-house patrons and streamed the seven live performances to over 50 households online, hosting the venue’s largest audience since the introduction of Phase 4 of WA’s COVID-19 Roadmap.

Despite being challenged by COVID-19 gathering restrictions, South-West Shorts 2020 Producer Therese Edmonds and the Margaret River HEART team were able to connect with a broader audience through their live stream ticketing option.

Ms Edmonds said they were thrilled to be getting back into the theatre again, even if ticket sales would still be restricted.

“We had a large online audience in Perth and those in Esperance watched it as a community in the theatre.

“Access to the live stream really opened up the possibilities for us.

“We would never have been able to achieve this without the support and advice of the HEART team.

“They were a vital part of the event’s success and shows their dedication to the local arts scene.

“We feel very much at home at the HEART.”

Margaret River HEART General Manager Nicky Hansen said she was delighted to have been able to support the event.

“We often think of live performance in terms of the hard to measure, softer things like meaningful social interaction, psychological stimulation and positive emotions”, Ms Hansen said.

“But this event is just one example of how live performance delivers all of that, plus it’s a positive financial injection into the economy.

“The live stream allowed folk from all over the world to enjoy the performance, and make a donation supporting local artists and the arts in general.

“The event was a gathering of writers, performers and supporters from all over the South West and attracted more than 30 people to stay an average of three nights in Margaret River.

“This contributed an estimated $20,000 to the local economy in room nights.”

The event provides an opportunity for WA writers to have their work recognised, developed, performed and published and offers the chance to connect theatre artists in the Perth and South-West regions.