Upgrading Broadway’s Preview Process
Let Them in on the Act
Michael Paulson, on The Queen of Versailles’ Bombed on Broadway. What Went Wrong? in The New York Times:
Word of mouth sets in fast now. Fans and influencers attend early previews of Broadway shows, while the material is still being reworked, and post their reactions on social media, chat boards and audience reaction sites. Those early reactions, in this case, were poor.
“Online commentary has an impact on word of mouth, and that happens so much sooner now,” Jay Krottinger, a co-producer, said.
Perfecting Broadway shows necessarily requires performing for live audiences. Shows take time to develop, and audience feedback is a critical part of that process.
Some of that feedback comes from simply observing audiences: standing at the back of the theater and noting whether an audience is laughing, crying, or reacting in the right (or, sometimes, the wrong) places.
The preview process is essential to this feedback loop, especially when millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs are at stake.
“What’s heartbreaking is when critique gives way to click-bait cruelty, and complexity is flattened by the speed and force of collective provocative judgment,” Arden, the show’s director, wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “Real people and real labor are lost in the noise.”
But how can a show best use previews if the show’s creators don’t have the chance to benefit from them?
The speed of online word of mouth, especially for a show still coming together in previews, can permanently damage a production before the creative team has time to respond. Changes made in previews can be the difference between an abbreviated run and a sustained, profitable one.
Worse, the creative team, not to mention the cast and crew, can become demoralized by such feedback, especially when it’s combined with vitriol and personal attacks.
Given that we need previews, below are a few ideas to rethink and upgrade the current preview process on Broadway to better serve audiences and the show’s creative team.
Be more aggressive about preview pricing.
Ticket prices during previews are only marginally lower than post-opening prices. We should signal the trade-off of attending previews through pricing. We should be telling consumers:
“Hey, we’re going to let you see the show for 40% — or even 50% — off what we’ll charge for the final product. But in exchange, we ask that you not post about the show online in a way that precludes it from having a future life.”
Use curtain speeches more often during previews.
It’s common during an invited dress rehearsal, or even a first preview, for the director to come on stage and explain to the audience that what they’re about to see is still a work in progress.
But we tend not to do this after that first night, and we may be depriving audiences of an essential educational tool. If a show is in week two of previews and is still making significant changes in response to audience feedback, the director should take the stage again to remind the audience: this is a preview, and it’s still evolving.
Make the creative team more available for feedback during previews.
Yes, it’s now common to conduct various quantitative surveys during the preview process. But there’s still something to be said for the writers, director, and producers standing at the back of the house after the show and gathering feedback directly from audience members.
In extreme situations, require NDAs.
In extreme cases, we could require audiences to sign NDAs precluding them from posting online about the preview they’re about to see.
I’m not sure I love this. But I’m not sure I want to rule it out entirely in the right circumstances.
This is by no means a comprehensive list. What ideas do you have to improve the preview process on Broadway and Off-Broadway? Let me know in the comments below.
What a great issue! I like how you outlined a practical plan rather than just, well, complaining.