BroadwayHD's Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane Joined Bob Ost for TRU Panel

BroadwayHD founders Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane joined Bob Ost for a TRU (Theater Resources Unlimited) Community Gathering panel to discuss the acceleration of streaming technology and digital capture of theater. The first streaming platform to exclusively offer a catalog of full-length musicals and plays, BroadwayHD was founded in 2015 and made the Guinness Book of World Records in 2016 for the first live stream of a Broadway show. The BroadwayHD catalog has expanded over the years to include over 300 Broadway and Broadway-caliber shows for on-demand viewing and gained a global subscriber base.

TRU is a nonprofit organization created to help producers, emerging theater companies, self-Producing Artists, and all theater professionals understand and best navigate the business of theater. Organized in 1992 by Bob Ost, TRU provides educational opportunities through sponsored events, scholarships, and industry-related topics. The TRU community mentors many hyphenated theater makers such as playwright-producer and actor-producer, many of which were present at the online gathering to learn from the BroadwayHD founders.

President of The Drama League, Co-Founder of BroadwayHD, and Three-Time Tony Award Winner Bonnie Comley says, "BroadwayHD is a streaming service like Netflix, but with Broadway shows, so I wasn't sure what was to be learned by playwrights who were becoming producers to develop their plays, but it soon became apparent that there were a lot of takeaways. Comley stated, "The best way to become a great theatermaker is to view as much theater as possible, which includes in-person theater and streaming theater. Watching award-winning Broadway and Broadway-caliber shows that have been years in development, honing characters and story arcs is a professional development; it's an investment in your career. BroadwayHD has hundreds of titles to educate, inspire and entertain you."

Comley continued to explain that BroadwayHD and filmed or digital theater productions provide access in different ways. Access to audiences by eliminating barriers of geography (streaming brings the show directly to you), cost (a BroadwayHD annual subscription is $129.00 vs. the average price of a single pair of Broadway tickets is $125.), and physical limitations (mobility, captions for hearing impaired and audio descriptive for sight impairment). The other type of access is to theater makers or, as Comley says, "whose shows get to be seen." Since 2019 BroadwayHD's Trailblazer's rail has highlighted shows by underrepresented artists.

Stewart F. Lane is a six-time Tony Award-winning producer, co-owner of the Palace Theater, served on The Broadway League's Board of Governors for eleven years, and currently sits on the American Theatre Wing's Board. In 2009, Lane wrote the book Let's Put On A Show, a how-to for theater novices, and it has become a bible for many self-producing playwrights!

Lane gave the TRU community audience some advice from his book, which included guidance for successfully staging a performance -- even when you don't have a big Broadway budget. He also offered how-tos on the fundamentals of production, including selecting a show, finding a theater space, putting together your creative team, casting decisions, etc. Lane raised the questions. "Why do you want to live stream or capture your show? Are you ready for a global audience? Are you live-streaming or recording the production? These options require different budgets and considerations."

Comley emphasized the importance of rights. She mentioned the different kinds of rights possible with streaming: live streaming, scheduled content streaming, on-demand video streaming, and remote performance streaming. Comley suggested that you consult a lawyer regarding rights and permissions.

Comley and Lane stated that the theater industry is still adjusting to adding live streaming and digital captures, but most people agree on the additive value of streaming. Digital capture or filming of the entire show is a marketing asset. It's a full-length commercial raising brand awareness and loyalty.

To learn more about TRU visit: www.truonline.org

To learn more about BroadwayHD visit: www.BroadwayHD.com