Cennarium is one of the leading providers of performing arts content from around the world. On September 15, 2017, they will host a panel discussion regarding the rewards and challenges of streaming the performing arts. The event will be held at New York’s famed Lincoln Center. Panel members will include actors, executives and others from organizations including the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, Vimeo, the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Actors’ Equity Association, the New York Philharmonic and BroadwayWorld.
Themis Gomes, the CEO of Cennarium, notes the potential of the company. Whilst movies, television shows books, and music have been digitally distributed for the better part of twenty years, no such service exists for live performances which are often un-viewable once the actual show closes. Themis believes Cennarium will change all that and subsequently bring more attention to theater, musical and other live events simply by increasing accessibility to them. The panel is a way to discuss ways this platform can be used and, noting the big-names involved, it is clearly gaining ground rapidly.
The discussion will also serve as the launching pad of the “Promenade Festival” which Cennarium created and prides itself on being the very first global performing arts festival that is available entirely online via a digital platform.
Recently Themis Gomes, CEO of Cennarium, spoke about this event and more via an exclusive interview.
Meagan Meehan (MM) of Entertainment Vine: What exactly does Cennarium do in terms of what it offers to both performing artists and the general public?
Themis Gomes (TG): Cennarium is an online platform offering high-definition streaming access to performing arts productions from around the world.
MM: What was the motivation behind creating Cennarium? Do you see yourselves as pioneers in the arts streaming space?
TG: The overwhelming majority of the population does not have access to the performing arts and 95 percent of large productions are restricted to major cities. Cennarium licenses performing arts content for online distribution, enabling subscribers to view performances no matter where they live and expanding the audience for performing arts productions. The platform also creates new monetization channels for theater companies and producers through a digital distribution revenue share model. In 2017, we have already shared 3x more revenue with artists compared to 2016. Movies, television shows and music are readily available online; the mission of Cennarium is to make the performing arts just as accessible. Cennarium is a pioneer in that we are leading the way in bringing the performing arts to the most efficient and cost-effective form of distribution.
MM: What is Promenade and why did you create it?
TG: Promenade is the first-ever streamed performing arts festival. It will run for ten days beginning September 15, with two performances each evening from 8pm to 10 p.m. (EDT and PDT). Promenade is completely free with performances available for viewing from anywhere on any device. Viewers can sign-up for the online festival via our website. We are trying to grow the global performing arts audience by making great performances more accessible and affordable to a larger portion of the population. Movies, television shows and music are readily available online; as content is increasingly consumed digitally, we want to make the performing arts just as accessible as other forms of entertainment.
MM: What will audiences see during Promenade?
TG: Performances chosen for Promenade have been carefully curated from some of the finest
performing arts productions from around the world. Each night will feature two performances to be streamed simultaneously in a specific genre, including dance, theater, opera, magic, circus, comedy and musical. There will be chatrooms for viewers to connect with each other, a program guide for the evening with information about the performances and performers and a guest host for the evening to welcome viewers and introduce the performances. Among the performances to be streamed in high-definition during the festival are the epic undertaking of Alexander Ekman’s “A Swan Lake,” the multi-awarded German musical “Dangerous Liaisons,” San Francisco Opera’s thrilling production “Moby Dick,” Grupo Galpao’s carnivalesque “Romeo & Juliet” and several others.
MM: How do you hope Cennarium will evolve over the next five to ten years?
TG: Cennarium is poised to be the leading provider of streamed performing arts content. We will continue to be committed to document, memorialize and acquire the best content and bring our subscribers some of the most amazing performances from around the world. We will also become increasingly involved in the production of performing arts content, working closely with producers, creatives, and theatrical organizations to make this a win for them and audiences alike.
MM: Aside from the panel discussion, what current projects are you working on and is there anything more that you want to mention or discuss?
TG: All other forms of entertainment are readily available on digital platforms; the performing arts are the last piece of the digital entertainment puzzle. There is an enormous demand for this content and the revenue potential is huge. To be successful, we must work closely with the performing arts community to build their business and support their work. This is all about increasing audiences and bringing great quality content to people who otherwise would not have access. In the long run, we are committed to supporting the next generation of performance audiences.
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To learn more about Cennarium, visit their official website.
