Have you ever been watching a show, when out of the corner of your eye you notice someone’s phone screen? If you have, you’ll know just how annoying it can be. Most of the time these people will be stopped by an usher, or another audience member, but sometimes they go unnoticed. In fact, sometimes people will film an entire show just so that they can share it online. This is strictly against the law. But could this criminal act actually be helping the industry? Let’s talk about the tricky subject of bootlegs. 

The term ‘bootleg’ is commonly referred to within the musical theatre community for recordings such as these. They are often extremely low quality, with the offender occasionally covering up the camera to avoid detection, but this hasn’t stopped them from achieving thousands of views on YouTube. With a quick search it’s possible to watch an entire library of shows, ranging from Wicked to Dear Evan Hansen, with many more being disguised as ‘slime tutorials’. These can be taken down from the site as part of a copyright strike, but they can easily be uploaded by others within hours of being removed.

A variety of issues arise from bootlegging. Whether that’s stopping other audience members’ immersion, being a nuisance for the front of house team, or distracting the actors on stage. Doing so will also put you in danger of prosecution, since actors, costumes, and songs, will all be legally protected. If anything distinctive happens during the performance, it’s easy to guess when you attended and in which seat you were sitting at the time. If tracked down by the authorities, you could face some very serious consequences. Especially since HD bootlegs are often put up for sale on sites like Tumblr and Reddit. 

Another major argument is that if shows are readily available online, why on earth would people bother paying to see them in person? However, this can easily be debunked. Music piracy has been an issue for years, but concerts across the world still sell out in minutes. Pubs broadcast sports for free, but people still buy season tickets. When people love something, they will always want to see it live if the opportunity arises. So why can’t the same be said about theatre? 

The existence of bootlegs isn’t always caused by people not wanting to buy tickets, but rather because many shows are simply not accessible. The most popular subjects for recordings often come from the West End or Broadway, where even the cheapest tickets can be shockingly expensive. In London the average ticket price is around £50, and in New York that can more than double. If you don’t live in these areas you’ll have to fork out for travel and accommodation too, or you can hope that at some point a tour will come to your area. Heavily discounted tickets are often available for students or via a lottery system, but they can be very hard to get hold of. 

The popularity of recordings therefore demonstrates a desire for a more equal environment. Shows like Les Miserables highlight the lives of the struggling working class, but it’s unlikely to be viewed by anyone remotely from that background. Pricy tickets and limited cheap seats mean that most musicals are only seen by the richest people. Most of these prices are justified however, due to how expensive it is to run a show in the first place. Once staff, electric bills, props, costumes, and repairs are accounted for, many theatres need thousands of pounds a week just to keep going. 

Surprisingly, illegal distribution has also given some shows a second chance. Heathers: The Musical began its original production in 2014, but ran for just six months. Shortly afterwards a bootleg was released to YouTube, where it immediately exploded. So much so, it was then able to open in the West End in 2018, where it was insanely successful. A large percentage of ticket owners consisted of the teenagers who had made it so popular in the first place, and a UK tour is currently being planned. This same phenomenon also catapulted Be More Chill from New Jersey all the way to Broadway. 

But things are slowly changing, and in the future there may be no need for bootlegs at all. Professionally shot shows have been shown on TV and in cinemas from time to time, but now we are seeing a rise in official online streaming. The Shows Must Go On! launched a series of online musicals during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, and gained millions of views. Disney+ will soon be streaming Hamilton too. In the past pro-shots of Legally Blonde: The Musical and Miss Saigon have severely reduced the number of bootlegs for those specific shows, so this could well be the way forward. 

So, should we watch bootlegs? There isn’t really a straight answer. Creatives get no say in their work being released for free, but it can encourage larger audiences. It opens up musicals for everyone, but it ruins the experience for those who did pay for tickets. What can be learnt from the situation however, is that people want more ways to watch live theatre. And perhaps we are working towards a time where both live and official recordings will be the norm. 

If you’d like a more ethical way of watching from home, you can check out: Broadway HD, The Shows Must Go On!, and National Theatre at Home. You can also support freelancers by donating to your local theatre. 

Let us know what you think about bootlegs!