From Cats to Kinky Boots, how tech is taking theatre and putting it in hands and homes
- Companies such as Fathom Events, Audible and BroadwayHD are using the latest tech to bring theatre to all, at a fraction of the price of a Broadway ticket
- They’re also changing what theatre success means: Audible’s version of Boys and Girls sold the equivalent of 26 sold-out weeks at Broadway’s Booth Theatre
These days, you can watch a Broadway musical from a subway train seat. You can get your stage fix at your local cinema or hear a play while jogging. Theatre just isn’t what it used to be.
Media companies armed with the latest in technology such as Fathom Events, Audible and BroadwayHD are reshaping the experience, evolving it past the quaint notion of patrons filing into an arena, turning off their phones and sitting quietly in the dark.
Kicking yourself that you never saw the musical Kinky Boots or the play Fleabag? Relax. Cinema distributor Fathom has you covered. Cannot wait for the live-action Cats movie? Then watch a stage version while cuddling your own cat on the couch, thanks to digital theatre streaming network BroadwayHD. Or, if you’re in a more serious mood, put on your headphones and listen to the play True West, co-starring Kit Harrington, via Audible.
“We’re really going into a place where I hope people look at what theatre is differently,” says Kate Navin, who leads the theatre initiative at Audible, the world’s largest producer of audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment.
The prices cannot be beaten: a Fathom screening will cost you US$20, a monthly subscription to BroadwayHD runs US$8.99 and an audio play costs US$7.95 – all a fraction of a Broadway ticket, which can run you hundreds of US dollars.