Will Theatre Survive the COVID-19 Pandemic?
In times of a global pandemic it goes without saying that almost every single sector is suffering extraordinary amounts of damage right now, with the theatre and performing arts sector being no exception.
Following PM Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday 16th March 2020, urging the public to:
“avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues”,
a number of theatres across the UK were left with a difficult decision: to either remain open and avoid the financial implications of having to refund thousands of tickets, or close to protect both their audiences, and their image.
The performing arts sector relies almost exclusively on mass gatherings, and thanks to the novel coronavirus, theatres are facing an indefinite period of desertion. This unprecedented situation has left many peers of mine in the performance arts sector concerned, and wondering how the industry can survive.
This is where we’ll be forced to use digital technologies in an innovative way. I personally believe that the development of live streaming in the gaming industry on platforms such as ‘Twitch’ can be applied with great advantage to theatre.
monster/monstrum
An example of this is the University of Manchester Drama Society’s monster/monstrum who were told merely hours before the opening night of their immersive performance in NIAMOS that the Students Union had advised the cancellation of all societies’ events for the remainder of the academic year.
Heartbroken, they quickly got to work devising a plan to livestream the ‘live art performance about humanity and ferality’ from three different mobile phones, and across two different social media channels; Instagram and Facebook.
All of this was able to go ahead with the performers and camera operators remaining at least 2 metres apart.
The idea behind the multiple camera perspectives was to attempt to mimic the immersive experience of the piece. This demonstrated to me that novel uses of technology can effectively overcome the apparent restrictions of digitally documenting live performance.
Whilst the maximum ticket capacity of the show for each night was 50, collectively over 500 people tuned in. This means that putting the performance online increased their audience tenfold. Despite the success of the impromptu live streamed performance, the issue of financing the cancellation still remained.
Ultimately, the time and funding put into producing monster/monstrum, only to have zero paying audience members, resulted in a net loss.
Can theatre use existing live stream services?
Facebook introduced Facebook Live in August 2015, with Instagram then following suit with their live stories in November 2016. These live streaming services are free to use for both broadcasters and viewers, meaning that they aren’t a long-term solution for the already struggling sector.
This means to make profit without relying on advertising alone, there is a need for a digital live streaming service where audience members are still required to pay for admission. I propose a service in which theatre companies can live stream their performances online, with viewers either paying a subscription fee to the theatre companies of their choice or using a pay-per-view service.
As we’ve seen in the Digital Society discussion about The Internet, in response to the question; “What do you use the internet for?”, there were several mentions of streaming TV and film, with four people specifically referencing Netflix. This demonstrated the huge market for streamed entertainment and indicates to me a potential gap in the market for a real-time adaptation to the Netflix business model.
Even without a pandemic it is clear that the technology of live streaming theatre must make its way into people’s homes if the industry is to compete with others in the digital age.
Digitally documented theatre so far
Live streamed theatre is not an entirely new concept. Arguably the most ground-breaking event to happen to theatre is the development of NT Live.
The National Theatre first started broadcasting live performances in 2009 when they streamed their production of Phedre starring Helen Mirren. Since then, their initiative has sky-rocketed and they have ‘released more than 80 live broadcasts of the best British plays from stages across the UK and have been watched by nearly nine million people around the world’.
Fundamentally, NT Live films live performances and streams them into cinemas across the country so that people who can’t get to London can experience the show.
Whilst NT Live has carved the path for a future of digitally streamed theatre, it obviously doesn’t completely solve the problem, since cinemas fall under the category of “other such social venues” that the public are being urged to avoid by the PM.
Additionally it is worth noting that even without an audience, under this proposed model, casts will still face the challenge of creating meaningful and diverse theatre. This is because they will have to do so whilst practising social distancing which will;
- Exclude performers over 70 or those with underlying health issues
- Limit large ensemble work
- Restrict physical closeness in performance
These are obviously huge restrictions for musical and physical theatre companies.
Creative opportunity in times of darkness
Whilst the theatre sector is facing a period of unprecedented challenges, the restrictions that are being placed on the industry offers opportunities for both individual and industry-wide creativity that might reshape the way in which theatre is created and delivered to its audience.
We are already seeing this from the BBC’s recent announcement of Culture in Quarantine, an online arts festival that plans to:
“run an essential arts and culture service across platforms that will keep the arts alive in people’s homes”
as Jonty Claypole, BBC Arts Director explains. This will include brand new recordings of Albion by Mike Bartlett and Wise Children directed by Emma Rice.
It is undeniable that whilst we all head home to spend more time away from social interactions and everyday life,
“theatre is exactly what we need more than ever right now”
as Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director of the Old Vic wrote in a statement.
Thinking of ways to keep ourselves entertained is at the forefront of many people’s minds at the moment, and one can only hope that during this period of silence in the theatres creators are creating.
After all, as American singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash points out in a tweet:
“When Shakespeare was quarantined because of the plague, he wrote King Lear”.
