Everyday News: 4 Ways YouTube Has Changed Broadway

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As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage.” Increasingly, that stage has grown to include the digital sphere — that means YouTube.

When it comes to the entertainment industry, the legitimate theatre (or “legit” in Variety speak) might lag behind film, television and music in terms of its digital prowess. One of the services that is changing this — and bringing the stage to new audiences around the world — is YouTube. Not only can fans find clips of their favorite songs or productions online, aspiring Broadway Babies are increasingly turning to the video giant’s platform to audition for roles.

Let’s look at four ways YouTube is changing Broadway.

To Audition

In the film and television industry, casting directors have been accepting audition tapes from would-be applicants for nearly two-decades. Over the last five years, this has evolved to include online video auditions, using YouTube, Skype or Facebook.

For live theater, however, the rule for casting has largely been “in-person only.” Open auditions are a Broadway rite of passage, but these auditions almost always take place in person (it’s why the biggest shows or revivals do geographical tours to try to find new talent).

In the last few years, YouTube has started to change that. A New York Times article from August notes that two recent Broadway revivals, Annie and Funny Girl, held online casting calls. The best of the online submissions are called in for in-person callbacks.

In February, the off-Broadway revival of Rent held online auditions via YouTube in addition to open calls in Los Angeles and New York City.

Last April, the national tour of Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan held auditions for non-dance roles over YouTube. In the case of Peter Pan, the production even awarded the creator of the most-viewed YouTube video four tickets to see the show in Madison Square Garden.

Not all casting directors or show producers are convinced that YouTube is the future of online auditions, but for large productions or big touring shows, it is quickly becoming an important part of the process.

To Discover Talent

As the Times article points out, however, direct casting submissions are only part of the YouTube story. While more productions are seeking online submissions, a much larger movement is happening when it comes to discovering talent.

For Broadway casting directors, YouTube is a goldmine for doing talent research. The New York Times article quotes a number of casting directors who have turned to YouTube to find talent.

When Disney was casting potential Ariels for The Little Mermaid, it used YouTube to compile a list of potential candidates. Producers could then login to the site and see bookmarks or compiled playlists of potential finds.

To Promote

Having an official YouTube channel is a great way for Broadway productions to promote their shows and connect with fans.

The Book of Mormon won 9 Tony Awards and has been sold out for months. Still, the hit show maintains its own YouTube channel, in addition to accounts on Twitter and Facebook.The videos for this show are more promotional in nature and contain very little music and stage clips, but it’s a nice nod to fans.

The DisneyOnBroadway YouTube channel has amassed nearly 10 million views for its videos, which promote Disney stage productions like The Lion King and Mary Poppins.

Even smaller productions, like the off-Broadway Silence! The Musical, are using YouTube to promote their shows. Silence!, based on my all-time favorite film, Silence of the Lambs, uses YouTube as a way to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the show. For this show, which The New York Post likened to The Book of Mormon (the difference being, “you can afford the tickets”), YouTube is the perfect promotional outlet.

To Document

Of course, most widespread use of YouTube and Broadway isn’t sanctioned by many producers, theaters and Broadway actors — but it happens anyway.

The fact that nearly every person carries a video camera on them at all times has led to a huge rise in uploaded performances of Broadway shows.

It might make some actors angry (hear Broadway legend Patti LuPone dress-down a photographer in this clip), but it’s a fact of life in the 21st century.

The best part of YouTube is that it is a virtual treasure trove of past performances that would not otherwise be viewable by anyone. Live theater is about the live experience, but being able to revisit a particularly poignant performance or show-stopper is only possible thanks to tools like YouTube. Do a YouTube search for your favorite musical or regular stage show and you might be surprised by the quality (and age) of some of the clips that you find.

It’s particularly cool to watch the evolution of a long-running show over a period of years. Sometimes, fan-made montages, like this one from Sondheim on Sondheim are better than official promotional spots.

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