My (Conflicting) Opinions On Bootlegs

So if you've read my last theatre related post (My Favourite Musicals) it'll come as no surprise to you that I do watch bootlegs, like a lot! And I just wanted to write a quick post addressing this and explain my opinions on the matter.

As the title of this post suggest, I have very conflicting opinions on bootlegs, but I feel like a lot of theatre fans have the same views on the subject. One thing that I like about bootlegs is that it makes theatre accessible to people who don't live near/in New York or London or who live somewhere where touring production don't typically visit to experience shows without costing an arm and a leg on transport, travel, accommodation and for the tickets themselves which can get very pricey. I live in Cork, in the south of Ireland, and for me to see professional production of shows I have to travel to either Dublin or London which costs a lot of money (I know because I do it a number of times a year). Thankfully in recent years I've noticed an increase in shows being professionally recorded and broadcasted to cinemas across the world and released on DVD which costs a fraction of the price. Hopefully this trend keeps going strong.

Another thing I love about bootlegs is it gives people a chance to see shows that closed before they had a chance to see them live. I feel like so many shows wouldn't have the following they have today if it wasn't for bootlegs. Let's take Bonnie and Clyde and Heathers for example. Both shows had very short lived runs but have massive cult followings which you cant argue is NOT the result of people watching the bootlegs. Bootlegs allow some shows to live in long after they closed and also gives them hope of being revived because of the following the bootlegs generate. And on this note it also gives people a chance to see different performers in different roles. If you do manage to save up money and go and see a show live you're only seeing one person in each role. But thanks to bootlegs you get an opportunity to see how other performers embody the characters and how each person brings something different to the stage.

And coming off my last point, if you're lucky you might get the chance to see the same performers and relive your experience at home, time and time again. I saw Wicked when I was very young and had the pleasure of seeing Kerry Ellis as Elphaba. Cut to years later and I just happen to stumble across a bootleg of Wicked with Kerry in the lead and when I watched it a flood of nostalgia came over me and I was able to close my eyes and perfectly conjure up the memory of me at 11 seeing Wicked for the very first time, which is what made me fall in love with theatre in the first place.

Having said all that though, there is some issues I have with bootlegs which are mainly that a) it is illegal and I don't condone anyone doing it and would never do it myself and b) that it is rude and disrespectful to performers. I cant speak from experience as I have never been nor will I ever be a performer but I have watched many actors talk about the subject of looking out into the crowd and seeing the flash of phones, or someone's face lit up and it takes them out of the moment and distracts them from doing their jobs to the best of their ability. As a theatre goer I hate when I see people on their phones during a show as it  distracts me and other people around them from enjoying the show, so I can only imagine how much worse it is to be on the stage and seeing that. So of course I understand that performers wouldn't want a recording of them going around where they have been distracted and aren't doing their job as well as the usually do because they've been taken out of the moment. And also, if I was a performer and something went wrong on stage which is the risk these actors take when doing live theatre, I would hate for that moment to be captured forever and spread around the internet for everyone and anyone to watch.

One argument against bootlegs, however, that I just can't get on board with is the idea that it causes a major dip in ticket sales as people would rather watch the bootleg than go and see the show live. I'm sorry, but I find this very hard to believe. As a theatre lover who watches bootlegs I have never once thought a bootleg is enough and have not wanted to be able to see it live instead. In fact in general a  bootleg is something that fuels my desire to see a show live. For instance I have watched and loved the bootlegs of The Addams Family, Hamilton and Heathers before being able to see them live. But the second I found out I had the opportunity to finally see them in person I jumped at the chance and bought tickets straight away and for multiple dates (and dished out as much money as possible to make sure I got the best seats I could afford). And likewise, I have only seen the bootlegs of Waitress, Bright Star, The Color Purple, Bonnie and Clyde, Spongebob Squarepants, Mean Girls and Finding Neverland but if I have the chance to see any of those shows live you can bet your ass I'm going to pay whatever it takes for me to do that.

So yeah, I completely understand why bootlegs are considered taboo in the theatre community but I feel like they can have such a huge impact on someone and make them an even bigger theatre fan than before. My only hope is that in the future bootlegs wont be necessary cause theatre will be far more accessible for everyone be it through cheaper ticket prices or more live broadcasts and recordings being released on DVD.