The New York Times: Five days after the coronavirus quieted performing arts venues, the Irish Repertory Theater found its voice.
It was St. Patrick’s Day, after all — not an occasion to go unacknowledged, even during a pandemic. So the humble nonprofit started posting homespun videos of company members performing Irish-themed songs, poems and monologues on social media.
2 comments:
I've said this plenty of times but I think theater will be more popular than ever after the pandemic. Virtual theater has allowed so many new people to see plays who are not able to/interested before, and those people are much more likely to buy tickets to in person shows. I think it's ridiculous that people believe that free and digital theater will kill the art form because not as much money will be made, but has proved in this article, theaters can make plenty of money even just in donations. I'm hoping that this new availability of theater can bring more diversity to the art form as well, because I think the biggest barrier to many is the lack of a first exposure. I know that I could attest to having being "bitten by the bug", and I knew I wanted to be in theater from then on out. I'm sure there are plenty of kids who don't believe that theater is for them, but once they are shown their first play, they may realize that it is the place for them.
I totally agree with what Jem wrote that whenever it is safe and possible to go attend a show in person, more people than ever will be going. In my opinion, what I miss the most right now, and what many people are missing, is shared experiences with strangers. To be in a room with people you do not know, and yet you are laughing at the same things, you are applauding the same things, and you are sharing an experience. When live, in-person theater is back, I honestly think more people than ever will rush to see a show. And with that, means the audience will be new, and hopefully more diverse. For the industry to get any better, we need to have more diverse audiences, because the young people in those audiences are the future members of the industry. I can not wait for the first show I see following the pandemic and I hope that there are a lot of people who are excited for theater that might not have been before.
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