My name is David Carberry, I am the Producer for Shock Therapy Productions. We are a Gold Coast based not for profit performing company, we have a huge youth program, and our work is mostly social and issue based. During the restrictions from covid-19 we have taken the opportunity to pivot our business and create a Live Online program which has enabled us to continue to deliver our work to students and audiences in Qld and now beyond. In a project supported by the Consulate-General Mumbai we are now partnering with HOTA on the Gold Coast and Qld Live Streaming to broadcast our performance of Viral to students in Mumbai.

The broadcast went out to almost 200 students and teachers from 7 different schools in Mumbai and Pune who are currently on full lockdown.  It was a huge success, with immensely positive feedback from the students and teachers. In addition to this we also had a number of dignitaries including; James Middleton, Vice Consul, Australian Consulate-General, Mumbai and Hema Singh Rance, Manager, Cultural and Public Diplomacy, Australian High Commission. As well as members of various arts organisations and festivals in Mumbai who were looking at examples of ways to connect with their audiences in new ways during this time of full lock down.

The post show discussion was then facilitated by Dr Chetna Duggal, a clinical psychologist and a faculty member at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and Priya Srinivasan, the head of the Pomegranate Workshopwho helped connect the 7 schools in Mumbai with Shock Therapy. There were 130 students involved in the post show discussion which cantered around the themes in the production with an aim to help students deal with the stresses and potential dangers of doing everything online during this time of full lock down.

Overall this was a huge success, with many firsts, and many important steps towards positively evolving and progressing how we connect with audiences and with each other during this time.