JANET Videoconferencing Case Studies: BRIT

Bringing the house down … on both sides of the Pond!

Students at the University of South Florida have been using videoconferening to gain access to UK professionals from the world of drama on a yearly basis

As part of the BRIT Programme, students on the University’s Performing Arts course began using JANET Videoconferencing Service (JVCS) to enable wider access to British drama professionals, without incurring the prohibitive costs of travel.

For the last 18 years, 3-6 artists have travelled to Tampa for a period of 8 weeks to conduct workshops and mount a production using student actors. "As the costs of travel has increased exponentially over the years, the possibility of using videoconferencing as a means of reducing some of these costs has become more and more desirable an idea," comments Marc Powers, Director, School of Theatre and Dance, USF. “

The programme has attracted a number of well known names, including Sam Mendes and Donald Sinden, and has now developed to include casting, masterclasses and many more activities.