How Theaters Are Transitioning To Filming and Livestream in Wake of Covid19 Cancellations

When news broke that theaters across the country would need to shutdown amidst Covid-19 concerns, many shows were in the middle of rehearsals. What would become of these productions, that might not make it to the other side of the hiatus?

Cue the camera.

As stated in an article from the Washington Post, for instance, Arlington's Signature Theatre hired a film crew to record the current production, "Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes," a new comedy by Dani Stoller that was supposed to run through March 29.

The theater itself is closed until March 30 due to public health concerns, so they decided to give ticketholders special access to the film online.

Similar ideas have popped up around the country, at places like The Metropolitan Opera, which plans to launch free nightly streams during its closure. Or The Lucille Lortel Theater, which set up cameras to record Martyna Majok's "Sanctuary City."

Licensing companies have also started to allow filming of shows in their catalog. Broadway Licensing recently announced a one-time non-precedent setting approvals for live streaming their productions.

By allowing these productions to be saved on film and released for the public to watch during the quarantine, these theaters and companies are able to continue spreading their art to a much wider audience.