Why the show must go on and will go on

the show

must go on we hear that time and again

usually when there’s a minor accident

just before show

and performers announced their intention

to carry on

in spite of the setback legend has it

that the saying originated

in the early 19th century with a more

ominous

overtone circuses were a popular form of

entertainment

with lions and tigers as the main

attraction

when the ringmaster announces the show

must go on

it usually means some ferocious animal

has just escaped

in other words do not panic

those who remain seated are rewarded

with an

improvised show albeit without the main

attraction

but the show goes on today

the show must go on it’s a creed

for everyone associated with staging a

show

from artists to producers from backstage

crew

to front of house staff from freddie

mercury

to andrew lloyd webber there’s little

danger of

facing an escaped animal in today’s

theaters and concert halls

instead live performances are confronted

with a 21st century threat

without sounding too ominous i shall

call it

the disruption of online consumption

internet delivers live concerts live

theater

performances of all descriptions right

into our living rooms

these are available on demand at a

relatively low cost

we are treated to close-ups to panoramic

views

to multiple camera angles views we don’t

see

when attending events in person at a

physical venue

plus we get the stop and start button

for

popcorn breaks so the big question is

what’s going to happen to our live

concerts and live

theater will they be replaced by

live streaming and digital recordings

will this be the audience of the future

after nearly 40 years of working in the

performing arts

i’ve come to believe we will always be

venturing out

to seek a live performance when the

opportunity arises

when the budget is right we have a

strong drive

to see and participate in person

my work involves the selection the

contracting

and the presentation of artists in music

dance and theater

these range widely from symphony

orchestras to

broadway tours from jazz to popular

music

from classical ballet to comedy

festivals

so far i’ve been lucky and have had no

falling chandeliers or seriously injured

performers i guess that qualifies me to

make a couple of

interesting observations about audience

motivations i’ve noted three compelling

motivations

that drive audiences to live

performances

even when digital versions are readily

available

the first has everything to do with the

sharing of experiences

for live audiences the sharing of

responses

and reactions come naturally

they are in the same physical space the

same visual space

the same communication zone

this results in a motivation known as

the amplification

effect of shared experience

it arises from our tendency to share

moments of

joy of sorrow even of uncertainty

studies by leading researchers suggested

the sharing of

experiences amplifies the magnitude

of the communal feelings rather like

that

extra kick we get when sharing a drink

with our friends

in contrast the sharing of online

content

seems more remote sharing is

mediated by all of cyberspace

and sharing platforms a recent report

by a newspaper describes sharing

platforms as providing

connection without communication

we’re less vocal than we would have been

in the midst of a cheering crowd

social amplification generates the

spontaneous energy

that life audiences enjoy it transcends

even the convenient connectivity of the

internet

the second motivation for life

attendance

it’s about how we are engaged

physically and mentally the difference

between physical engagement

and embodied engagement we get a fair

amount of realism

from our virtual and mixed reality

events

this hybrid bungee jump in korea

seems pretty scary to the

participants best thing is they don’t

need to jump off a cliff

so we should find out what makes

the actual real event itself

different without having to jump off a

cliff

to get a satisfactory answer we will

need to borrow a page

from the neurologists here’s how it

works

besides our external senses like

touch vision and hearing

we have an internal sensory system the

somatosensory system this detects actual

physiological participation it eludes

the externally simulated inputs

suggested by

augmented reality devices it takes both

internal and external sensory systems

to generate an embodied engagement

the embodied engagement being our total

involvement

mental and physical

in a way virtual events can take us to

the show

mind over matter whereas physical events

take us there

mind and matter our theaters in concert

halls

are specially designed to fully engage

us in person

to conjure up multi-dimensional images

we can retain

and recall that means if we are seeking

a totally

immersive experience we’ll be attending

a show

physically rather than digitally

the third and final motivation for

audience

participation stems from something

within our nature

that we love and hate fomo

or fear of missing out that tinge of

regret we feel

when we miss out on a good deal or a

great show

we over compensate and end up joining

long queues

for things we don’t really need

the root cause is the perceived scarcity

of supply life performances are

frequently

one-offs or limited runs creating

not just the impression of scarcity but

most times

an actual scarcity miss it and you lose

it

now the big difference between online

content

and a live appearance is that it is

always possible to retrieve and revisit

online content not so for live shows

they are practically one of a kind

each best a distinctive hallmark of a

specific performer

shaped by a unique occasion and a unique

audience they generate the excitement of

risk and spontaneity

there can be no retakes no re-runs

no touch-ups more importantly life

audiences have been known to inspire

artists to perform

in extraordinary ways that’s something

we would not want to miss

also sounds to me like an excellent

excuse for

fomo our fear of missing out we’ve come

a long way since the days of escaping

lions and tigers

when our emcee announces the show

must go on it would mean a different

threat

the internet disruption will our night

out at the theater

be replaced by a solitary view on a

digital screen

fortunately the internet is as generous

as it is invasive

it has spawned a new and rapidly

expanding generation

of online arts consumers including those

who previously have had little or no

interest

to go to a live event undoubtedly

some will be curious enough to check out

a show they have discovered online in

person at a physical

venue those

working in audience development

including

public arts agencies artist managers

promoters readily recognize this

spillover effect

there’s no shortage of attractive and

targeted incentives

to facilitate the crossover from digital

to physical this expanding audience base

is exactly what keeps live theater

live concerts alive and well

the internet is not the tiger we once

feared the next time we hear

the show must go on it would not mean

there’s a ferocious animal

on the loose instead it would signify

that the

curtain is about to rise to a continuing

era

of live concerts live theater

and i can bet with live audiences