Weeks ago I asked on reddit if the reason films still survived today is because for a very long time movies were far sup
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Plays
UralosBolivarian — 7 months ago(August 26, 2025 06:39 PM)
Weeks ago I asked on reddit if the reason films still survived today is because for a very long time movies were far superior to TV as a whole (minus the occasional miniseries, broadcasted live performance, sitcoms, and a few TV movies starring A List actors). Because I heard somewhere that it was only around the last 15 years that TV as a whole medium has finally been able to compete with movies alongside books and non-American comics in the same ballpark. That TV was all out **** before that time with miniseries as the consistent exception and it took to the 90s for 2 or 3 TV shows to finally be deemed worthy of being as good as cinema standards though much of the "best of the best" stuff in that decade such as Buffy and Xena were still mediocre and at best maybe better than your average B movie.
So now I ask the same question but for theatre instead. Why did theatre survive despite cinema stealing so much of the theatre fanbase during the 20s and attaining a monopoly over entertainment in the 30s all the way to TV's introduction in the 50s and crippling Theatre's popularity so much? The question is even more relevant today with even new forms of entertainment has already permanently cripple cinema's monopoly and stolen its moneymakers such as TV, internet surfing, comics, and video games and more are now the preferred entertainment of much of the general populace. Movies still managed to survive even as TV and other mediums starts to equal it in artistic quality and more people would rather buy the newest PlayStation game or use PPV to see the next MLB game but its on a very dangerous zone near the cliff.
If movies which practically at this point in society everybody from a 4 year old to 101 year old elder and even an ISIS terrorist nutjob know about and have seen at one point in their lives, is on life support………. While so many millions and millions, possibly over a billion people, have never seen live plays before not even elementary school performances growing up! So how? How the heck does live theatre continue to survive? What does theatre have that TV and other entertainment doesn't?
Bonus question, despite modern recording equipment allowing live theatre to be filmed and purchased, why do even diehard fans of say King Lear still watch it live, shelling out cash for expensive tickets? Even though DVDs of Tony Award winning performances have been made available for the general public to purchase? -
sheetsadam1 — 7 months ago(August 26, 2025 06:47 PM)
Why do concerts still take place despite the invention of audio recordings? Why go to sporting events when you can watch them on TV? Weird question, honestly. Enough people enjoy theatre to keep it profitable and the production costs are significantly lower than for movies as a general rule. And it's a much more challenging form for writers than the screenplay, where everything can be shown onscreen or shot in multiple locations.
Draft Barron Trump -
Uncreative — 7 months ago(August 26, 2025 06:55 PM)
I go to the theatre once or twice a year because they put on a show I want to see. It's usually pretty close to sold out. Although it does seem like private donations make up a big part of their funding.