A Guide to Meet(ing)
The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life. — Oscar Wilde
from Broadway Unlocked • Innovation for any stage.
Ermmm, sorry Mr. Wilde, but apparently we’re gonna have to amend that quote 🤷🏽♀️ — we’re going online, whether we like it or not…
We’ve heard (a few times this week) that Zoom has reduced grown theatre folks to tears as they try to take their classes online. With so much other stuff to worry about, it feels like web conferencing software should be the LAST thing “undoing 20 years of therapy” as a collaborator joked with us (read: not a joke).
Don’t get us wrong — we love Zoom, and it’s by far the online “webinar” services with the most robust feature set, highest quality streaming etc etc. So if you’re tech-savvy, or already use Zoom — keep on it! If you’re having to turn to this technology for the first time, we’ve been recommending Google Meet for the following reasons:
✅ No software to download or plugins needed ✅ free enterprise features through July, which we’ll explain the advantage of later.
That’s it — but it’s enough. We’re hearing from you that the most important thing is to be able to make a new plan for your classes, and get it up and running as quickly and effortlessly as possible. The thing with Zoom is that you have to download software, which comes with a host of potential hiccups that can be frustrating if you’re a person that can crush a double wing time step but has never spent a significant amount of time on the computer outside of Netflix.
Read on for what you need to know, FAQs and a screencast walkthrough
Google Meet
Create a Basic G Suite Account here
💵 14 day free trial; $6/month after that
WTF DOES THIS DO 👩💻
Meet allows you to:
- Schedule and/or start a “meeting”
- Hook up pro camera/audio if you want
- Invite up to 250 participants (til July 1st — this is an enterprise feature)
- Send an invite link to participants, direct invite them with their email, or add it through a calendar invite (we love this feature!)
- Livestream the class/meeting with an increased audience limit of up to 100,000 viewers within a domain
- Screenshare during the meeting
- Multiple participant layouts and the ability to pin/unpin primary speakers
WHY DOES IT MATTER ❓
They’ve made their pro version free til July, which buys you up to 250 participants per call, live streaming for up to 100,000 viewers within a domain, the ability to record meetings and save them to Google Drive, and there’s no software to download when you send someone a link to join (as opposed to Zoom).
THE CLIFF NOTES 📓
Keep in mind — you need a g suite account to access these enterprise features. But at $6/month for the basic plan, we think it’s extremely worth it. Compare with Zoom — you pay about $15/month if you need Zoom meetings longer than 40 minutes.
We were chatting with a major children’s theatre who are pivoting their classes online quickly — when you think about the issues that can go wrong with you getting Zoom set up, and then 40 kids and their parents trying to do the same thing to join the meeting, Google Meet starts looking preeeetty good.
THE INSTRUCTIONS 📝
- Get a G Suite Account here
- Watch this walkthrough!
Need help?
Book a 20 minute consult call on Wednesdays from 2–4pm EST and pay what you can. For all other consulting inquiries, please email hello[at]broadwayunlocked
Broadway Unlocked is a startup pushing the boundaries of theatre past the footlights. Set at the intersection of the theatrical skillset and entrepreneurship, its portfolio includes The Giveback Concert, Take Me To Coffee, Full STEAM, Storytelling for Leaders and The Salon, among others. The company is at the forefront of innovation in the arts and delivers powerful collaborations, content, products, and partnerships across business, cause, and culture.
Jessica Ryan is a recovering polite midwestern girl from Kansas City who’s now happily bi-coastal and working as a mad scientist across the arts, entrepreneurship, technology and activism. She has performed at Goodspeed & Berkshire Theatre Festival, written for some of the biggest companies in the world including Amazon and GE, directed digital content with Tituss Burgess and Kirstin Maldonado, voiced spots for Starbucks and Old Navy and (probably most importantly) once sang a jingle for an adult superstore in North Dakota (true story, Annabelle’s, look it up).
In case you’re not exhausted yet, Jess is the CEO/Founder of Broadway Unlocked, an ambassador for the Summit community, member of the Zuckerberg Institute and Creator and Co-Host of the Take Me To Coffee Podcast with Hamilton’s Andrew Call as well.
Currently accepting extra hours in the day, inquire within.
@jessicaryannyla / @broadwayunlocked
