Yesterday was an exciting day for the future of entertainment. 10,000 (!!!) people listened to a performance of The Lion King on Clubhouse and over 600 people tried to get into Neverland Live, an AltSpace VR production of Peter Pan. Thoughts on these platforms for performance: 1/

It should be noted that known properties are certainly fueling these big audience surges. 1) People want to see stories they love told in new innovative ways. 2) With a known quantity there’s more of a guarantee you’re going to have a good time even if the form is experimental 2/

Artists and companies already making live art must PAY ATTENTION. This is an excellent gateway for folks to experience new platforms and forms. Also we must acknowledge WHO is doing the work and WHY it’s working. Give them their due! 3/

We also must acknowledge that what these two examples have done is likely illegal due to copyright laws. Will Disney (in this case) and other IP owners continue to play nice if this trend gets bigger? They did for Ratatouille on TikTok. How long will their graciousness last? 4/

Nonetheless - we must celebrate this big day for creativity and the future of live performance. When you give artists access to technology, they innovate. Audiences are hungry and excited for these experiments: let’s feed them. 5/5