Broadway shut down two years ago today...and digital theater took off

The governor shut down Broadway on March 12, 2020, a horribly memorable day.

Theater artists started innovating almost immediately, giving new life to #digitaltheater.

The pandemic is not over. But there is hope, and some evidence, that it is winding down, at least in New York. The question we have already been asking: Will the innovations of digital theater — will digital theater itself — last past the pandemic?

In the meantime, some theater artists continue to innovate in digital theater: American Connected Theater Awards for Pandemic Year 2

Sutton Ross said: "Never, ever again. The horrible internet connections, that embarrassing Rosie show, the streaming plays that went on for months and months. Just never again."

Amen Sutton. It never “took off.” It was a necessity and it just emphasized the need for live theatre. A few (very few) companies found a way to do something exceptional. The rest seemed liked under rehearsed table reads. I’m completely over any kind of virtual entertainment. I’d rather watch paint dry.


Even with Seth’s stuff, there’d always be a few cast member with bad connections, feedback, bad audio or no concept of technology. I get migraines just thinking about it.


The pandemic took about two years off my eyesight.

Agreed Betty. And, knowing thousands were dying and getting sick, no vaccine yet, etc. Just a horrible sense of dread and trying to be positive but it was just very painful to watch.

With due respect for your personal experiences, mine were more positive with digital theater, streaming theater, virtual theater, online theater ....whatever you want to call it....(I've heard webcast too.) The field is too new, too fluid and too wide-ranging to be so readily boxed in, summed up and dismissed..

Those theater lovers who didn’t keep close tabs on all the experimenting going on might have had the mistaken impression that the totality of “digital theater” took place on an unmodified Zoom platform. Most of the ten listed in the link above do not fit that description.

What about hybrid theater? What about the experiment with "simulcasting" on Broadway?

Updated On: 3/12/22 at 04:52 PM

The best stuff came from the UK. The Curve Sunset Boulevard and Color Purple were excellent.

I enjoyed the early stuff that we all watched together, like the Rosie event and Seth's shows were fun. It was a nice way of bringing the community together. There were some lovely performances and videos here and there, but nothing that was life changing or that we'll be raving about for decades to come. My favorite full length actual show/play, and not just a concert or zoom reading, was The York's Musical of Musicals that had, seemingly, everyone and their mother in it. Some really great performances and genuinely hilarious moments.