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Pictures from a Small Island - BBC Outside Broadcasts delivers live content to five European operas simultaneously

June 2007: BBC Outside Broadcasts is supporting St Kilda - A European Opera - an ambitious and innovative arts project that will connect the remote Scottish island of St Kilda by live satellite link to simultaneous performances in five different countries.

BBC Outside Broadcasts will capture and deliver pictures and sound from the island, located 40 miles west of the coast of St Lewis, to feed into five live performances in theatres in Germany, Belgium, France, Austria and Scotland. The 82 minute show tells the story of the Outer Hebridean island of St Kilda, whose last inhabitants were taken from their remote homes 75 years ago. The opera, performed in Gaelic, will feature pre-recorded footage of dancers on ropes suspended from the cliffs, shot by award winning cameraman Keith Patridge, of Touching The Void fame, as well as live footage of a singer, narrator and musician performing on St Kilda. The project is being led by the Gaelic Arts Agency.

St Kilda has been uninhabited since 1930 and is now a world heritage site. There are no roads and limited electricity on the island and the BBC Outside Broadcasts crew are transporting all equipment by water and will be living on a boat for the duration of the production. A crew of six, lead by Comms Supervisor Andy Bracewell, includes two digital radio camera operators, two sound engineers and a rigger.

Andy Bracewell says: “We’re responsible for pictures and sound throughout the broadcast transmission chain, from the camera lens to downlinking the pictures into the theatres. We’re used to working in remote locations, but this is the first time we’ve been involved in a theatre project of this kind – a key challenge will be making sure that all the operas are synchronised.”

Performances will take place on 23 June 2007. More information can be found at:
www.en.gaelic-arts.com/st-kilda

For further information, please contact:

Georgie Hollett, PR and Communications Manager, BBC Resources
Tel: +44 (0)20 8624 9495
Mobile : +44 (0) 783484 5612
Email : georgie.hollett@bbc.co.uk

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