RM Production Hub

This is not only the development of a play but also an innovative model for supporting community theatre and the arts through digital collaboration.

The Reading Miner Arts Community is building  and testing a new model for creative collaboration called the RM Production Hub. It is based on the BuddyBoss community platform and initially uses the shared history of ‘The Reading Miner’ as the catalyst for artistic participation across communities.

The Reading Miner tells the story of one young man’s journey from Reading to the South Wales coalfields during the Second World War. The RM Production Hub takes its inspiration from that story but is not limited by its geography. It is designed to enable creative collaboration between artists, volunteers and communities locally, regionally, nationally and, where appropriate, internationally. In the first instance, for example, it will make practical any collaboration between Reading and South Wales.

Rather than seeing digital technology as a separate project, the RM Production Hub has been conceived as an extension of the rehearsal room—a creative workspace where writers, musicians, artists, performers, volunteers and partner organisations can develop ideas together between face-to-face meetings.

The Hub is not intended to replace live rehearsal or community engagement.

Instead, it supports them.

Scripts can evolve collaboratively.

Research can be shared.

Artwork can be developed.

Music can be exchanged.

Production teams can communicate more effectively.

Volunteers can participate regardless of previous experience.

For people unable to attend every workshop in person, the Hub offers an accessible way to remain creatively involved.

Most importantly, it transforms participation from occasional attendance into an ongoing creative relationship.

The Reading Miner therefore becomes much more than a single theatrical production.

It becomes the catalyst for a wider programme of artistic participation.

The story itself remains rooted in Reading and follows Sydney’s journey to the South Wales coalfields. That historical geography is fundamental to the narrative. However, the collaborative community that develops the work is not limited by geography. The RM Production Hub enables participation from Reading and the surrounding region while also allowing artists, researchers and supporters from elsewhere in the UK—and, where appropriate, internationally—to contribute their knowledge, creativity and experience.

The ambition is not to create another social media platform.

Nor is it to demonstrate technology for its own sake.

The ambition is to explore whether a carefully designed creative workspace can strengthen community theatre by improving collaboration, widening participation and leaving practical resources that continue to benefit future projects.

The Reading Miner will remain the flagship production.

Its development will provide the evidence through which this collaborative model can be evaluated.

Throughout the project, participants will contribute not only to the production itself but also to understanding how digital collaboration can complement traditional community arts practice.

This approach reflects the values of The Reading Miner Arts Community.

We believe powerful stories create communities.

Communities create creativity.

Creativity creates lasting cultural value.

Rather than introducing technology for its own sake, we are exploring how an accessible digital workspace can support the creative development of a community theatre production, improve collaboration, widen participation and leave a practical model for future projects.