Theatre's Future, I hope I'm wrong

Theatre is just an expensive bureaucracy wrapped in nostalgia. Sure, it’s live, but that’s about all it’s got left—a flickering candle in a hurricane of streaming, gaming, and TikTok attention spans. That sliver of uniqueness is the only thing keeping it on life support. If theatre’s decline were an isolated case, I’d hold out hope for a miraculous reinvention. But nearly 5,000 movie theatres have shuttered, too. We’re in the midst of a seismic shift in how people entertain themselves, communicate, and tell stories. For today’s audiences, theatre is a tough sell—about as enticing as convincing kids to attend church.

John Steinbeck once said, “The theater is the only institution in the world that has been dying for 4000 years and has never succumbed. It requires tough and devoted people to keep it alive.” The question is—are the fresh-faced BFA and MFA grads tough enough to fight for it?

 

Okay, now for the good news…