Forced to shutter live seasons, performing arts organizations jumped on the digital bandwagon. It may have been a mistake.

By Caitlin Vincent for the Conversation

Since March 2020, there has been a worldwide influx of digital arts content. Forced to shutter live seasons, performing arts organizations collectively jumped on the digital bandwagon. From live-streaming events to archival production footage, audiences are inundated with virtual performance events.

In most cases, this content has been offered for free. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia, New York’s The Metropolitan Opera, and the UK’s National Theatre, among many others, have streamed live or prerecorded performances on digital platforms for no charge.

But it’s increasingly clear the return to live performance may be a matter of months or even years.

In this climate, digital content may be the only means for sustaining the sector in the medium-term. But a problematic precedent has been set.

Source: The Guardian