Does online performance have a post-pandemic future?

Artists, teachers and arts administrators reflect on the future of theatre and comedy online, including questions of access and engagement.

The range of digital programming has exploded during the lockdowns, making comedy and theatre more accessible to a broader audience. But is this trend just a pandemic measure or an ongoing change to how we consume live entertainment?

But when COVID-19 struck, the National changed its tune. As with some Australian counterparts, the theatre embraced the digital realm in order to stay connected with audiences and open up a much-needed revenue stream when in-person performances were impossible.

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Daniel Herborn is a journalist and novelist based in Sydney. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in The Saturday Paper, The Monthly, The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and others. He has also practised law at an Intellectual Property firm specialising in creative industries clients.