Escenix

Imagine  a streaming service for theater and the performing arts, where the best of the national season of dramas, comedies, musicals, classics, independent theater, ballets, stand-ups and so on are all available from wherever you are, whenever you want, at your conditions, forever. Every piece filmed, edited and produced with multiple cameras in the highest definition, to translate the scenic experience into a new, most intimate and personal one. Going beyond every barrier of distance, time and money and opening up unprecedented possibilities for national theater within Chile and the world. Nice, right?

Oh, you purists, I know exactly what you’re thinking. ‘But, the smell of the foyer, the dress you wear on every premiere, the silky feeling of red velvet in the pit, the crowd, the dust, the lights’ and bla bla bla. A little heads up: nobody will lose that – nor want to, for that matter.

Launched in the midst  of the pandemic in a period of quarantines, limitations, and economic downfalls  for creative industries, Escenix seeks to create a new, unprecedented environment for theater, one where those who couldn’t make it to the play can still enjoy one of the most sublime and culturally defining of the arts. So to make it clear: this is not diluting theater, that all stays. This is just creating a whole new world of possibilities – for audiences and industry professionals alike.

For us, this was an extremely exciting project to work on – and a bold way to democratize the arts, which never hurts. So our approach had to stem from the need to bring theater in people’s homes and, while we were at it, tear down the mental barriers of inaccessibility and inadequacy. Our work as creatives was to understand a code, a language, and use it to connect products and ideas to audiences: Escenix had to feel familiar, crystal-clear, easy, mainstream. No need to reinvent the wheel here: based upon the de-facto interface and look and feel of the world’s most famous streaming services, we created a familiar, recognisable and yet specific identity for Escenix. By exploring a code that’s ubiquitous for movies, series and documentaries (but new for tragedies, ballets, comedies, and so on) we created a platform for every audience: accessible, easy, democratic.

An entertainment platform and (give it a few years) a national theater archive, Escenix is breaking the rules of time, space, and money by offering the general public, educational centers and institutions a wide catalog on a subscription basis just a tap away. With new plays available every month, the platform curates the selection, produces and promotes every play that was born inspired by similar experiences in the US, UK or Brazil and aims at creating a whole new royalty based economy stream for companies, screen players or musicians. Escenix won’t just extend the profitable timespan for a play beyond its theatrical run, but will create a lively and rich archive for present and future generations. Too cool or not too cool?