Sunday, January 24, 2010
OntheBoards.tv Offers Pay-Per-View Theater and Dance
NYTimes.com: "Ms. Lee’s play is one of seven theater and dance works to be made available through OntheBoards.tv, the first online, pay-per-view series dedicated to presenting progressive contemporary performances from around the world. “The Shipment” was recorded by four HD cameras and a sound technician during its run in October at On the Boards and edited, with her input, under the direction of Matt Daniels of Thinklab, a Seattle production company."
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4 comments:
Although I can completely see why ontheboards.tv could present a problem for performers (just as illegal distribution and downloading of music has kind of cheated musical artists today) I still think that having new contemporary theater broadcast available to people through pay-per-view is amazing. There's so much contemporary theater that I would love to see but can't because of location and time but I would definitely love to watch online. It may present some problems in terms of its illegal distribution but at the same time, it could also increase a lot of publicity and attention towards new shows and worthy productions that are opening especially since ontheboards.tv isn't exactly like a youtube site in that they are ensuring great quality. Also, I could not agree more with Sarah Wilke's comment that the world is definitely moving toward a wider view of experience and that theater is at risk to lose some of its potential viewers if it doesn't become more readily accessible.
I agree that this is not the same as the live theater or dance experience, but I think for those who cannot be there live, it is a great alternative. I do however agree with the article that if one were to fall in love with the performance because of the video, and then see it live only to be disappointed because it was not identical, this good be a negative aspect. I think people need to look at this strictly as an alternative or different experience and not something that is here to replace the real thing. As long as that mentality is kept, I think this will prove to be a great resource for those interested in contemporary theater.
I think this concept is good, but would be better if presented in a different way. It has many hazards, such as losing everything about live performances that make them unique and worthwhile, and possibly promoting laziness and discouraging audiences from actually going to see performances. However, from an archival standpoint, it is an excellent idea. It solves one of, in my opinion, the biggest downfalls of live theatre, which is that once the run is over, it's over. Allowing distribution of high quality archival footage to the public, therefore is a good thing. I personally also think that if it were not pay-per-view, and rather available for purchase it would be more effective.
While I understand that this type of service is offered as a way for people unable to access the live versions of the shows, I believe that this totally disregards the importance of a live performance.
Theatre performances (and other theatrical events) are special because of the live interaction with an audience. Each performance is different because of what the audience brings to it. This is completely negated in a recorded production.
Another element that makes this sort of presentation less than ideal is the fact that while in live theatre, it is the job of the director/designers to direct the attention of the audience, while in a recorded media (such as a movie), that role is played by the cinematographer. What the audience is looking at can completely change what message the audience receives.
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