Beyond the Proscenium: Why Livestreaming is Essential for the Future of Theater

Theater has always been defined by presence: being in the room, breathing the same air, experiencing the electricity and magic of the performance as it unfolds. But what happens when being in the room isn’t possible? What do we do in the face of economic instability, public health concerns, or geographic limitations?

The answer is simple. Livestreaming isn’t a fad or a pandemic-era workaround. It is a tool for equity. It is a scalable revenue stream. And it is a strategic imperative for the future of the field.

Rethinking Access

Let’s start with what matters most: accessibility. For years, we’ve talked about bringing new audiences into our venues. Too often, that conversation assumes physical presence, even though economic, geographic, and physical barriers keep people out.

Livestreaming removes those barriers, especially if the tickets are priced less than in-person tickets. A working parent in Sacramento, a disabled theatergoer in Pittsburgh, a student in rural Alabama, none of them need to miss a Chicago production of their favorite play. With livestreaming, they can access professional performances in real-time from wherever they are. That isn’t a compromise. It’s an expansion of reach and relevance.

I experienced this firsthand last year, watching Manhattan Theatre Club’s Jaja’s African Hair Braiding from my bed in New Orleans while sick with strep throat. Supporting my friends Jocelyn Bioh (Playwright) and Nikiya Mathis (Wig and Hair Designer) meant a lot, and I was able to enjoy the production in full resolution on my television. Within minutes, I forgot I wasn’t at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Jim Augustine, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of the League of Live Stream Theater, underscored this potential when I sat down with him for a conversation about what livestreaming looks like for arts organizations. He said, “This is about building access. It’s not just about technology. It’s about equity. We’re expanding the invitation.” He added, “Theater should not be something that only people in a ten-block radius can experience. Livestreaming opens that radius up to the world.”

Scaling Without Limits

The industry celebrates a sold-out house, but we need to shift that mindset. Instead of seeing capacity as a victory, what if we viewed it as a limitation?

Livestreaming lifts the ceiling. Whether you want 500 or 5,000 people in your audience, you are no longer constrained by brick and mortar. You can stream student matinees to classrooms across the country. You can offer virtual tickets for every performance, not just a single night.

Organizations experimenting with hybrid models, like the League of Live Stream Theater, are seeing real results. Augustine shared, “Some theaters feared that livestreaming would cannibalize their box office. What we’re finding is the opposite. When audiences have a taste of the work digitally, they want to experience it live.”

Livestreaming isn’t about replacing the live experience. It’s about amplifying it. Hybrid models meet audiences where they are without compromising the power of in-person performance.

For example, the recording of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour on Disney+, which was released midway through the tour, was an enormous marketing tool. Just two months after the release of The Eras Tour film, it became the highest-grossing music tour in history, earning more than $1B in ticket sales. 

I myself, as a member of the Bey Hive, was unable to attend Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour, but I did pay to see the concert film in a movie theatre not once, but TWICE. For audiences that did attend the tour, it heightened their experience and excitement for being there in-person.

A Smarter, Stronger Business Model

The pandemic laid bare how fragile traditional models can be. When theaters went dark in 2020, too many had no fallback plan. Some still haven’t reopened.

Livestreaming offers diversification. It is a revenue stream that complements in-person sales. And in many cases, it generates new interest. Audiences discover work online, then seek it out live. It expands your audience base to people who otherwise wouldn’t know about your organization.

Augustine made it clear: “Livestreaming isn’t just an emergency switch to flip when things go wrong. It should be part of your operating model from day one. It’s a line item, not a last resort.”

More importantly, it creates resilience. Whether facing a public health crisis, a snowstorm, or budget uncertainty, livestreaming allows performances to continue. That kind of continuity protects the future of the artform.

Making the Case

If you’re a development or artistic leader wondering how to make the case to your board, frame livestreaming for what it is: a strategic investment. It is a tool for audience growth. It is an equity driver. And it is key to long-term sustainability.

Want to connect with younger audiences? They live online. Want to attract national donors? Show them their investment reaches well beyond your ZIP code. Want to build authentic community engagement? Stream your talkbacks, panels, and creative processes. These touchpoints matter, and they should not be reserved for those who can be there in person.

As Augustine said, “It’s about relevance. We are meeting today’s audience where they are, and that’s not always in a seat under a proscenium. Sometimes, it’s in their living room with a laptop.”

The Future is Inclusive

We must stop treating digital access as secondary. We need to invest in the infrastructure, training, and storytelling that make livestreamed experiences just as compelling as live ones. Not as an alternative, but as an integrated component of what we offer.

Because theater is more than a venue,  it’s a practice. It’s a living relationship between artists and audience, and that connection should not be constrained by walls or seats.

It’s time to move beyond the proscenium. Let’s build the future.