The ht.live choir is forming: a community choir that sings regular pop songs, not a classical repertoire, and meets with some regularity.

It's cast, so there's a short audition, but the point is to sing together, not to be perfect. Now and then the choir will step into our shows as a supporting act, for example singing a cappella backing behind someone at karaoke.

The first casting call is still to come. If you'd like to sing, get in touch.

glosso is ht.live's show for performance built on speech: narrative storytelling told on stage, and mock presentations delivered with a straight face.

It sits beside the comedy nights but isn't one of them. Some of the best speakers aren't comedians, and glosso gives them a stage. Performers are co-featured, so they share in the ticket sales, and every set is recorded for them to use.

The first nights are being planned. More about how the shows work is on Live shows at ht.live.

crowdwork is a comedy night at ht.live built around crowd work: comedians talking with the audience in the room, the part of a set that nobody can write in advance.

A handful of comedians perform each night. Crowd work is also what travels best online as short clips, so every night is recorded, and the comedians keep their footage. Featured comedians share in the ticket sales.

More about the format and the artist deal is on Live shows at ht.live.

comedyclub.cc is a stand-up night at ht.live built on a shared gate: the comedians on the bill share in the ticket sales instead of performing for a flat fee or for nothing.

Like every ht.live show, it's recorded. Comedians get their footage for their own clips and press kits, and the best sets can travel further in packaged livestreams and on Watch Replay.

Dates and the first lineup are being worked out. More about how the shows work is on Live shows at ht.live.

I'm making short video origin stories on behalf of the Gun Safety Alliance: documentaries about how the organisations doing this work began, who started them, and why.

It works like the Social Civic origin stories that ht.live produces for civic groups, but on its own schedule, made directly for the alliance. ht.live produces the films in support.

I also build the alliance's website and help on the tech side.

The first films are being planned. This page will list them as they're released.

Social Civic is an origin-stories project that runs in cycles. ht.live funds small teams to produce short films, likely under ten minutes, telling the origin stories of civic efforts and nonprofit organisations, along with the other parts of their identity: what they believe, how they speak, what marks them out.

How a cycle runs

1. The call. I publish a list of issues and a list of organisations working on them, and ask for six teams.
2. The match. Each team takes one issue and works with one organisation as its client, making a ten-minute film to a shared format.
3. The teams. People who want to keep working creatively in film and acting. It is not volunteer work: each team gets a stipend, a structure, and a real client to focus on.
4. The showcase. At the end of the cycle the films screen at ht.live, and perhaps at a local cinema.
5. The fundraisers. The six organisations then use the films together, holding joint events to raise awareness and celebrate what the cycle produced.

What each side gets

The organisations get a professionally made origin story. The filmmakers get paid, structured work with a real client. The studio gets a slate of films, a showcase night, and a place at the centre of six organisations' fundraising.