Monday, October 11, 2021
50% of UK theatres streaming shows online during Covid revert to in-person only
Theatre | The Guardian: More than half of UK theatres that offered online performances during the Covid pandemic have reverted to in-person shows this autumn, raising concerns that improved accessibility for disabled audiences could be lost.
Research has found that 56% of publicly subsidised theatres that had at least one online performance during the first 18 months of the pandemic have none scheduled for the autumn season.
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I have thought a lot about virtual theatre, and it's existence once we fully shift back to in-person theatre. While I understand the point of theatre is to be live and in person, I believe some elements of virtual theatre would benefit the theatre industry. By filming live performances and distributing them to the audience (over live stream which would keep the live aspect of theatre), productions would become more more accessible. You would not have to physically be in or visit a location to watch the production. This would boost ticket prices, as more people would be able to attend the show. I understand the argument that by providing this, people would less likely be able to see the production in person, but I believe this argument does not stand, as I believe most of the people taking advantage of this resource would be those who could not afford to fly to NYC, LA, etc. in the first place. Seeing the production in person is obviously going to be much better too, and by having online versions you would only increase the reach your production has, increasing your fanbase. Fans who viewed the show online would probably still want to see the production in person, and this would make them more interested in going. Take Starkid for example, a theatre company that has both online and in person shows. They are fairly successful, and have a HUGE fanbase. For theatre to survive, I think it has to shift and become more accessible. This is a step companies can take.
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