Playbill: These days, it seems like you can get anything on demand: food, toilet paper, any movie or TV show ever made. The only thing that you can’t get whenever you want? Broadway shows. You might be flipping through the streaming services Broadway HD or Disney+ and wonder: why can’t I stream the shows running on Broadway now?
8 comments:
While I understand how complicated it would be to make more streaming of Broadway shows possible, I wish it would happen and the US could do something like the UK that involves subsidies from the government. Watching a show on streaming is a fundamentally different experience from seeing it live, so I definitely don’t think it would cut into live viewers – ultimately, the people who can afford to go see the show in person are going to go see the show in person. That’s the way live theatre is designed to be seen, and the best way to experience the full impact of the production. However, streaming is nice for people who can’t afford to go and still want to see it. I remember when I watched the pro shot of Bandstand while it was streaming on Broadway on Demand for a limited time; I never would’ve been able to see that show – obviously especially because it closed – but I really enjoyed getting to watch it in that limited sense. Streaming promotes access, or allows people to rewatch without having to spend everything on another set of tickets. It would just be nice if it were more feasible.
As much as part of me wishes that I could stream any broadway show whenever I wanted, I definitely do understand why this is not the case. I too believe what the article mentions at the end, that theater is not meant to be seen whenever you want it by anyone. A live performance of a work of theater is special because it only happens once for a small group of people. No two performances are ever exactly the same and when a work is filmed and mass distributed, part of that special quality is lost. Despite this, I still do love a proshot (or even a bootleg) now and then and I do wish that more were available. This article was really interesting because I had no idea that the reason there aren’t more proshots available was so complicated. I, like many other theater fans, thought that it was just because they wanted people to see theater in person but the real answer has so much more to it.
I can totally understand that people would think that that people would not be as willing to see in person shows if they were available to stream, I do feel that it would be the case for many, but not all shows. I had no idea how expensive it was to film a production, I figured that the cost was high, but not that high. I feel that some shows attempting to be available on streaming platforms may send themselves into a financial hole – I hope that does not become the case. To be honest I also had not really considered the payment things, such as residuals. I also learned that the New York Public Library had an archive, I’d love to visit that some day and see what all is there. I do believe that seeing a show live creates a completely different experience than seeing it on a screen…
Recently over the holiday, I watched ‘Come From Away’ on Apple TV and I absolutely loved it. I was also able to watch ‘Hamilton’ on my flight. I truly enjoyed being able to watch Broadway shows on streaming services because they are just so much more convenient. Additionally, I was able to watch with my family, who don’t speak English, because the streaming platform provided translated subtitles. This article does a great job of explaining the complications behind Broadway show streaming in easy terms. I definitely see why it’s not yet a common thing and I also agree that with the residuals and contract, the shows will not be streamed any time soon. However, there has also been the argument that theatre should be more accessible, and streaming helps a great deal. I wonder what producing companies think when they know that there are bootlegs circling around the Internet – do they ever wonder to themselves “we should’ve just filmed it ourselves and then sell it to a platform so at least we make some money”?
I am so glad I was able to read this article. Myself, as well as so many of my friends have often wondered why proshots don't get made and released more often. So many people cannot afford the cost of both tickets and travel accommodations. Filming productions has always felt like a method to extend accessibility. Although its not the same as live theatre, and does have many downsides, it’s undeniable that so many more people would be able to enjoy the shows. It was almost reassuring that the initial guesses we’ve had are not the reasons for a lack of proshots. Although it was interesting to think of how contracts differ for theatrical works on screen. I suppose I always assumed it wasn’t too complicated and was treated as if it were a movie, and had assumed many of the same rules applied. But I can see how much of a mess those contracts could be. Although I will continue to wish for more proshots to be available, I’m not as upset anymore now that I know why.
Reading about why you cannot stream broadway plays is always such an interesting topic, because a lot of times the factors of discussion are about cost and time, something that broadway shows take up a lot of already. The very first point the article makes is about the upfront costs of creating a decent-looking filmed version of the show, and gives the example of Hamilton’s filming costing around 10 million dollars, which is a lot of money just to film and edit a show that has already been built, cast, etc. However, it also makes a point to say that the show was bought by Disney for 75 million dollars, while also making a point to say that not every show is of Hamilton’s popularity. The second point it brings up is royalties and unions coming into play when it comes to the cost of the show, and what exactly the production company can do with the people involved, which is definitely a tricky topic, especially when you get to shows with a larger cast. Overall, I think that it would be really interesting to see some kind of archive opened up to the public, but obviously something like that would not be done without the industry wanting to profit off of it, which is a messy route to try and go. They also say that most archival filming of shows is not exactly tasteful for viewing, with a lot of the shows only being filmed with one camera from a wide angle, but I feel as though that would not be as much of a problem for viewers who are more passionate about theater as opposed to viewers who want to gain the shows full experience.
For one, I am grateful that there is no streaming service for broadway and theatre more generally. That being said, one of my favorite shows I've ever experienced is a filmed play on DigitalTheatre+. I think my main issue with the idea of streaming shows is that if they are still running, it sets up an expectation for every night to be precisely like the filmed one, limiting creativity and diversity of experience. However, if every show were filmed with at least one camera after its initial run is coming to an end, and that is written into everyone's contact at the start of the show, that would make me very happy because then the production could live on in a time capsule forever. I also believe that in that way, those shows would be like hamilton and draw in audiences from the filmed version during national tours, and more directors would licence the shows.
Streaming is happening in some ways. I've been arguing for wider use for 20+ years, and none of the issues named are insurmountable.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/newsletter/2023-02-04/broadway-live-streaming-theater-between-riverside-and-crazy-pulitzer-essential-arts-arts-culture
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