A SELL-OUT crowd attended the launch of Saffron Screen’s ‘special events’ to watch the ballet Coppelia broadcast live from the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow.

The event was a tremendous success and marked the first of many live and pre-recorded cultural events at the cinema.

Chairman of Saffron Screen Rebecca del Tufo said: “Saffron Screen is delighted to have kicked off our cultural events with the upbeat and gloriously colourful Coppelia.

“Our audience enjoyed the event immensely and we appreciated positive feedback on their experience. We look forward to offering more special events over the coming months.”

Some of the feedback received following the ballet included comments like:

“Absolutely brilliant, loved every moment. The live broadcast certainly made me feel part of the audience. For once I could really see the facial expressions and foot work rather than the ‘white faces’ from back of the stalls or gods!!”

“It was wonderful especially seeing the activity backstage and the ballet dancers warming up.”

“Superb photography and performance. Excellent value.”

The next ‘special events’ coming to Saffron Screen are the opera Macbeth from the Royal Opera House on Monday June 13 and The Cherry Orchard from The National Theatre on Thursday June 30.

Both of these performances will be streamed live via satellite from their respective venues, meaning that the audience at Saffron Screen will be enjoying the production at the same time as those attending it in person.

An additional bonus for the cinema viewers is that the cameras go behind-the-scenes and backstage, and the presenter of the programme conducts interviews with directors, conductors, or performers during the intervals.

Saffron Screen has also just announced the following pre-recorded productions for this summer:

Sunday July 31 at 6pm – Don Giovanni from The Glyndebourne Festival

Recorded at the 2010 Festival, Glyndebourne is streaming this opera to cinemas across the UK simultaneously on this one date. Their production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni is a ‘white-knuckle rollercoaster ride’ through the events of the last day of the Don. Jonathan Kent’s production stars Gerald Finley as the philandering anti-hero and Luca Pisaroni as his long suffering servant Leporello.

Saturday August 13 at 7pm – Romeo and Juliet from The Globe Theatre

Saffron Screen showed an extract of this play at its preview event in February and, due to popular demand, is now showing the full production.

Filmed before a live audience at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2009, Dominic Dromgoole’s production brings fresh clarity to one of Shakespeare’s most famous and best-loved tragedies.

Ellie Kendrick, a truly youthful Juliet who starred as Anne Frank in the BBC television drama, and Adetomiwa Edun, a boyish Romeo, head an excellent cast whose period costumes point to the timelessness of parental disapproval, adolescent temperament, rivalry and violence.

Tickets vary in price and may be booked through saffronscreen.com (click on the Special Events tab from the home page), the Saffron Walden Tourist Information Centre or the cinema box office. Seats will need to be selected for all tickets purchased and there is a limit of 8 tickets per booking.

In addition, a special range of refreshments will be available including cakes and flapjacks. Wine will also be on sale at evening opera and theatre productions. Further information about each production can be found at saffronscreen.com/special-events.