NYT: British Theater, Up Close on the Big Screen
Posted: 9/18/25 at 10:32am
"It's a business"
See what civilized nations can do?
Posted: 9/18/25 at 10:59am
NT Live and NT at Home are both great ways to expand reach and accessibility.
I'm in London a lot, but I can't get to/afford every show. Having these as options for many of them has both exposed me to shows I would otherwise not see and allowed me to revisit ones I was lucky enough to attend in person.
I know some here suggest that if you don't see it live on stage, it's not theater, but I just don't find that position particularly compelling. No need for it to be an either/or when so many AND possibilities exist. Streaming, PBS, DVD, or cinema exposure to a work of art may be the gateway experience that gets people to the theater to witness it live.
Updated On: 9/18/25 at 10:59 AM
Posted: 9/18/25 at 11:10am
Jay Lerner-Z said: "See what civilized nations can do?"
If theater in the US were as driven by national public subsidies as it is in the UK, the performing arts would be a complete MAGA ****show right now. Broadway, Lincoln Center, regional theater - you name it, it would all look like the Kennedy Center does now. I'm sympathetic with your position on this, and it's a worthy aspiration for some future time when we're a better nation. But I sure am glad it hasn't happened yet.
Updated On: 9/18/25 at 11:10 AM
Posted: 9/18/25 at 11:21am
Kdogg, arguably if a proper and better, more expansive system had been established decades ago... the US wouldn't be in the mess it's in now. Theater is education!
