Student Blog: Broadway At Home

Between blasting theater soundtracks and having solo dance parties in the living room, the Broadway fun never stops! There are so many ways to get involved with theater and that doesn’t include actually seeing a show.

While seeing a show is always a good time, part of the special experience is that it’s not an everyday thing. Then, a lottery win is all the more exciting, and the thrill of traveling into the city to a new theater is still present. 

So how can you still engage with theater while sitting on the couch? 

Pro-shots and movie musicals are an amazing way to spend your nights binge watching musicals! My favorites include HAMILTON on Disney+, COME FROM AWAY on Apple TV, and pretty much everything on Broadway HD. Starkid has a lot of original and parody musicals available for free on YouTube, and if you like PETER PAN GOES WRONG or THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, the entire Goes Wrong series is available on YouTube as well. 

One of my favorite memories over the pandemic was spending Saturday nights in my backyard with my friends. We set up a projector and made our way through the Starkid musicals, and a few years later, I'm still recommending them to other friends. 

Recently, my Starkid besties and I went to a free screening of the WAITRESS pro-shot in Times Square. Yes, you heard that right. Thanks to TSX, we spent a few glorious hours sitting in the rain and watching Jenna and Dr. Pomatter on a large screen in the middle of Times Square. It was such a unique experience and — especially thanks to the rain — one that I will remember for the rest of my life. While the ticketed premiere of Waitress played across town, we got to enjoy it in a crowd of theater fans right in the heart of Broadway.

There are a lot of non-show events to attend as well. After arriving home for the summer, I went straight to the city for a KPOP: THE MUSICAL cast album release event, which included a Q&A with the cast and a CD signing. Just last week, I joined tons of other fans behind the rope for ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME’s opening night, cheering as the show’s actors walked the sparkling pink carpet (key word: sparkling. We watched them literally pour glitter onto the carpet).

I found all of these events on social media, which is a great resource if you’re looking to get more involved with theater. I have the @officialbroadwayworld Instagram on notification alert, so if something interesting is happening, I can make sure to sign up right away! 

I absolutely love seeing shows, but if I can’t make it into the city, then I’m so glad there are ways to enjoy theater at home.