There are several innovations in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, but one of the biggest on-screen will be the stage. No longer anchored to the auditorium’s rear, the stage’s full behemoth is being brought into the middle of Malmö Arena. With the audience on all sides and cameras capturing a 360-degree view, this year’s artists will be the first to sing at a Contest where the performers are  “in the round.”

But what does it mean to perform in the round?

We approached Paul Robinson, the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. The theatre company was the first in Britain to perform ‘in the round, championing a new wave of theatre presentations.

What impact does working in the round have on both the actors and the audience? Where can you take the acting process when you know not everyone will see it?  And how could it change what we see on-screen in May at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest?

Eurovision Chat Over Coffee: Malmö’s Challenge Of Performing In The Round

Fin Ross Russell sits down with Paul Robinson, Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. They discuss audience-performer connections, the difference between TV and theatre and what exactly “in the round” actually means.

We’d like to thank the Press Team at Scarborough Theater for their help in setting up this interview.

Discover more about the Eurovision Song Contest ahead of May’s show by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter, which you can sign up for here.

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