Theater turns to live streaming amid coronavirus outbreak

Dance “Hit & Run” is live streamed through V Live. Captured from V Live

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Korea is having a big impact upon the theatergoing experience. As people avoid going to theaters to reduce possible contact with those infected, live entertainment companies are striving to ensure a safe viewing environment for audiences through options such as live-streaming.

According to the Korea performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS), the total sale of tickets for live theater performances in Korea stood at 20.6 billion won ($17.3 million) in February, which is just over half of January's 40.2 billion won in sales. The spread of the coronavirus is forcing members of the public to try and maintain a safe distance from each other ― impossible in a theater.

Many theaters and production companies are canceling performances, or offering ticketholders the option to cancel for free if they no longer want to attend.

The productions that are choosing to continue are seeing significant drops in audience numbers, and are thus looking for other ways to allow people to watch.

Korean musical "Marie Curie," which revolves around the two-time Nobel Prize-winning physicist and chemist, live streamed a full show via Naver's V Live video streaming service, Monday. The two-hour-and-30-minute musical achieved a whopping 210,000 views ― a high number for a theatrical live-stream.

While the live-stream was scheduled in advance of the coronavirus outbreak, it likely received a more enthusiastic response online as many people are stuck at home due to the virus and seeking non-traditional ways of accessing entertainment.

Currently, all theatrical live-streaming in Korea is being offered for free, as a promotional tool rather than a full substitute for the live performance.

The popularity of these live-streams during the ongoing medical crisis further suggests that online screening could be an effective means to advertise theater shows. "Marie Curie" enjoyed a significant increase in its sales during the live-stream, jumping from eighth to first in rankings on Interpark, an online ticket reservation site.

The Arts Council Korea (ARKO) also offers live-streaming of its ARKO Selection, which sponsors select, newly-created plays, musicals, dances and traditional art performances each year. The ARKO Selection had previously only been live-streamed once as organizers believed online access detracted from the merits of the live shows, however the organization changed its policy and decided that some shows would be live-streamed again after the COVID-19 outbreak.

On Feb. 28, dance "Swan Lake: The Wall" was live-streamed and another dance performance "Hit & Run" will be streamed live on Friday without an audience in the theater.

Play "La Rempailleuse" (The Chair-Mender) reduced the number of its performances to just four between March 12-14, down from an originally-planned week long run from March 7-15. Instead, the March 12 opening show will be live-streamed.

"We are discussing with troupes who have fewer chances to meet audiences as well as audiences who cannot come to theater due to COVID-19, to increase the live-streaming of performances or add a replay service," an ARKO official said.

The Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater screened "daegeum" (Korean bamboo flute) player Jung So-hee's performance through its official YouTube and Facebook channels last Saturday. As the nation raised its alert status to the highest level concerning the coronavirus outbreak, the theater announced that it would temporarily close until March 9. The musician, however, agreed to perform at the empty theater and live-stream her concert as an attempt to boost the struggling industry.

If the COVID-19 situation is prolonged, the theater is also considering live-streaming its "Undang Guesthouse Concert" series, scheduled for March 19-29, instead of canceling it completely.

“Participating artists have prepared for it for a long time. We plan to at least live-stream the performances so that their efforts can reach audiences online,” an official of the theater said.