Musical Theatre: Business and The Digital Age

Kind of continuing off of my previous blog about digital theatre, musical theatre producer David Ian has a different view on live performances and how they should not be streamed through a computer. In an interview for The Economist, Ian discusses how this is a great new time for theatre, especially musicals, because of the fact that they are something that aren’t normally streamed live. That simple little detail makes theatre completely different from television or film. Watching a live performance is a unique attractive treat that people don’t normally get to enjoy every day.

The unfortunate thing about this, however, is the fact that this appeals more to big Broadway productions, not small community theaters. These large productions cost a pretty penny to attend to, especially for musicals like The Lion King or Mamma Mia. Front row seats to shows like these can cost two people over a thousand dollars to attend. This does absolutely nothing for people who can’t afford to view their favorite musical live, and at the end of the day, it makes the idea of streaming live theatre at a reasonable price more appealing.

According to IBISWorld, Musicals bring in almost two billion dollars worth of revenue to the US in a year. When a musical has been branded, that production can go on tour all over the world, bringing in the big bucks. Musicals, like The Lion King, have been around since the 1980’s and are still thriving in 2015. So what about non-musical theatre productions?

There is a younger crowd that is starting to become more attracted to musicals, which in turn will hopefully turn them onto full-fledged plays, but I don’t necessarily see that happening. Many of these well-recognized musicals have already been or are being turned into films. Which gives this new generation absolutely nothing unique or attractive to look forward to about musicals. Once again this brings us back to pushing theatre into a technologically advanced age. No offense to Mr. Ian, but as student in the theatre world, I am seeing less and less people getting involved in theatre. The idea of allowing people to stream these branded musicals live might give us the leverage we need in the theatre community to bring it back to life, at a price that the common man can afford.

Theatre in the Digital Age?

There has been a lot of talk lately about sending the theatre world into the digital age. Theatre has always been a form of entertainment that relied on physically going to a venue, sitting down for an hour or two, and experiencing live action role-playing right on stage. It has never (for the most part) been something that has been experienced through TV. Sure there are some DVD’s out there that have recorded big Broadway productions, but in the thick of everything, theatre is something you need to experience up close and personal. That is something that is now starting to change.

Digital Theatre is a London based company that distributes theatre production on demand through an online streaming platform. The entire idea behind the company is to make the arts accessible to anyone no matter where their geographical location is.  They want to engage minds, young and old, in the ways of the arts. It’s a new and different type of exposure for the world of live performances. The website has a digital library with a range of different styles of theater from Shakespeare to Musicals, as well as Opera, Dance, and Classical Concerts. Anyone can stream these productions from any desktop, laptop, smart phone, tablet, or smart TV. There is just a small fee for purchases and an even smaller fee for rentals. This seems simple enough and a great way for anyone to become engaged in the arts, so why is this stirring up such talk within the theatre world? Why hasn’t the United States jumped on this bandwagon?

It all boils down to the rules and regulations placed on artistic licensing and equity in the US. Each individual equity contract has a subsection that addresses filming and broadcasting a production. While some contracts have built in sections that allow for media and broadcasting, most do not; which is what makes the idea of streaming theatre online so taboo in this country. It is something that could possibly infringe on the artistic property of a playwright, actor, lighting/set designer, and even the costume and make up artist.

Many big wigs and bloggers of the theatre community are discussing the idea of trying to import this style of broadcasting into American theatre. While I think this is a great for the means of spreading awareness about theatre and the arts, I don’t necessarily agree that it is our best move artistically.  Theatre is something that should be experienced live. Letting the audience see the emotion and sweat dripping off the actors faces is part of what makes theatre feel so alive. If we start streaming productions online it takes away some of the passion that brings people back to the stage time and time again. It also brings up the problem of people not attending live shows, and community theatre dying out. I really do think that this is a new trend in theatre that needs to be heavily thought out before it has a chance of being implemented.