Joel Ostdiek, MBA ’22: Increasing Access to Theatre

TL;DR

Theater is a powerful tool for developing empathy as it creates a collective experience that can synchronize the heartbeats of an audience, but the industry needs to address geographic, financial, and perceived barriers to make it more accessible.

Transcript

if this low keynote were a musical its overture would be my first memory of listening to an overture i was in first grade at my local high school's production of rogerson hammerstein's cinderella i sat on my knees on an old folding chair in a dusty gym temporarily converted into auditorium i craned my neck to watch the pianist play every line of th... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎭 Theater promotes empathy by creating a collective experience that connects individuals through shared emotions and experiences.
• 💓 Watching theater can synchronize the heartbeats of an audience, breaking down group differences and fostering a sense of unity.
• 🎭 Geographic limitations, financial costs, and perceived barriers make theater feel exclusive and inaccessible to many.
• 👻 Technology can democratize theater by expanding distribution, streamlining development, and allowing for new platforms of discovery.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does theater create a collective experience that promotes empathy?

Theater asks its audience to lean in and take an imaginative leap together, creating a collective response where laughter, tears, and reactions are shared. This collective experience fosters empathy by connecting individuals through shared emotions and experiences.

Q: What research supports the idea that watching theater can synchronize heartbeats?

Neuroscientists at University College London found that watching theater can synchronize the heartbeats of an audience. This physiological response highlights the profound impact of theater in creating a shared connection and overcoming group differences.

Q: What are some challenges to accessing theater?

Geographic limitations make theater inaccessible to many, with creative capital often concentrated in a small radius. Financial costs are another challenge, as theater tickets can be prohibitively expensive. Perceived barriers also exist, with some feeling that they do not belong in theaters that may not have represented or welcomed them in the past.

Q: How can technology democratize access to theater?

Technology can drive three shifts in theater: distribution, development, and discovery. Digitization allows theater to reach wider audiences, breaking the notion that putting shows on screen cannibalizes demand. It also helps in the development process, making it quicker and more affordable. Technology can also enable theater to be discovered in new places and platforms, bypassing traditional gatekeepers.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Theater is a cheat code for developing empathy, as it asks its audience to lean in and take an imaginative leap into new stories and characters together in a collective response.

• Research shows that watching theater can synchronize the heartbeats of an audience, breaking down group differences and connecting people.

• The theater industry faces challenges of inaccessibility due to geographic limitations, financial costs, and perceived barriers that need to be addressed.