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PL & P
Full Stream Ahead at Toronto ’ s
ROY THOMSON HALL
BY BRAD TRENAMAN . PHOTOS BY JAG GUNDU / ROY THOMSON HALL
When the live entertainment industry started shutting down in March 2020 due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic , performing artists responded almost immediately by offering up previously unavailable content online . Pre-recorded or streamed live , an abundance of music , theatre , and dance suddenly became available at our fingertips and , while many argue that this is a lacklustre replacement for experiencing these art forms live , audiences have been voraciously consuming this content – whether it ’ s the U . K .’ s National Theatre with over 15 million views on YouTube over 16 weeks ( with a different show each week ), or Metallica , which has been averaging about half a million views per week for concert footage from their “ vault .” And let us not forget the juggernaut which is Hamilton . The film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda ’ s hugely successful Broadway musical was not due to be released for at least another year but a deal was reached for it to debut on Disney + in July and , while no official figures have been released , analytics firm Apptopia reports that downloads of the Disney + app were up significantly the week Hamilton was released ( 72.4 % higher in the U . S . and 46.6 % worldwide ).
Nowadays , airing existing content requires little more than access to a YouTube or Vimeo channel while streaming live can be as simple as playing a gig in your living room over Zoom . Stripped-down shows like this have often proven just as popular
SINGER ELISE LEGROW AHEAD OF A LIVESTREAMED PERFORMANCE FROM ROY THOMSON HALL