UP – Unboxed Productions

Dear Friends of UP:

We feel it is time to write to you to let you know how UP proceeded through the pandemic, what we have learned and a vision for our future going forward. 

UP was created long before we ever heard of Covid -19. Two theaters had performed Unboxing in Biloxi in early 2020 then two more had us on their schedules. In May of 2020, Jan Thomas and I, as founder of  UP- Unboxed Productions, made the decision to be a mostly online, digital, live streaming theater. Since that time UP has produced four productions: 2 full length plays, a 30-minute one act, and a variety show fundraiser special event. We estimate that we have had approximately 250 computers logging into our shows with as many as 350 viewers/audience and growing. In theaters I have had the privilege of founding and operating over my jubilee in theater, I would have been happy with that average!

 We have established  a live art enterprise that people not only will come to, but are enjoying as a unique experience and will come back for MORE!  Many are realizing that live online theatre is safe theatre and ENJOYABLE theater. And we know our live, fully online digital streaming experience can make you feel you are in a larger, more diverse theater experience, than just going to your local site-built theater. At our last two performances our audience watched and CHATTED WITH cast and crew from New York City, Florida, Texas, California, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington. We chatted with the writers of our first two plays. We also discovered that we can attract  audiences from across 5 time zones, (one gentleman logged on from Scotland at midnight and stayed for our Q&A!) and hold their attention for up to 3 hours! (I couldn’t do that in a stick built theater on my best day on stage!).

When we added up all the positives, it only made sense to keep going in this direction and we have made the decision to be a live, fully online  digital, streaming experience, almost exclusively. Almost everything we produce for the public will be live and online. We may also record our original plays and stream them as recorded productions.

 Theaters will be opening over the next months,  and many of our audience and our stage creatives will find their way back to stick-built theaters and that is what we have all been praying for. BUT, in the meantime, Unboxed Productions, having done both, has found a place to call home for our creative expression and we are going to forge ahead in this hybrid theater medium, we call a LOT: Live Online Theater. We hope you will stay with us on the journey and let UP entertain you in 2021-2022! Onward and UPward!

Kim and Jan

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