We recently sat down with Paul Wontorek, Editor-in-Chief of Broadway.com, to discuss the topic of how the Internet has changed how arts and theater news is delivered to the general public.
Overseeing the creation and delivery of content that reaches millions of prospects on Broadway.com each year, we felt he would have some interesting insight to share with our readers.
SITUATION ROOM: How has the Internet changed the face of reporting on arts and theater?
PAUL WONTOREK: When we first started Broadway.com in early 2000, most theater news was fed to and released in the Friday New York Times theater column--the community lived and died by it. When we started to cover news on a 24/7 schedule, many publicists and producers found it threatening and couldn't understand why we would want to challenge the system. Meanwhile, all we were really trying to do was make a name for ourselves as a credible journalistic outlet.
These days we're playing in a very different ballgame. The Friday column is a distant memory and The New York Times has directed most of its attention onto the web. Even the once-exciting game of trying to be the first outlet with a news scoop has sort of ended for me as there are multiple copycat outlets that can steal and report stories without crediting sources or having to following the basic rules of journalism. If anything's frustrating about the Internet is that it's a bit of a Wild Wild West environment where anyone with a URL and a dream can call themselves a journalist.
Obviously, message boards have also changed the way news is released, but I think it's dangerous for the theater community to think of the voice of a message board as the voice of the people. The core audience that these websites reach are already insiders or at least die-hard fans, who tend to see every show no matter what (most with comp tickets!). And that's not even addressing the fact that the anonymity of such boards distorts the opinions contained within in the first place. With people working for productions (or for competing productions) posting under assumed names, how are we to believe anything? Don't get me wrong--I understand that it's all just fun and games, but to think of it as anything more useful is foolish, in my not-so-humble opinion.
SR: What would you guess are the most viral (passed along) stories on Broadway.com?
PW: Broadway.com has a unique audience of readers as we attract both the passionate theater fans looking for the latest news on their favorite star or show as well as far more casual theatergoers who are simply looking for a bit of direction in choosing a show to get tickets for. The most viral stories for the former group are things like Broadway casting news and the latest photo of the Norbert Leo Butzs and Idina Menzels of our world. For the ticket buyers, reviews are of unique interest, as are opening night video features and star interviews.
We've always promoted ticketing alongside our editorial and have seen how our features can help lead a reader into our ticketing section to make a purchase. We've also seen interest in many of the special sections that we've created in recent months (our current Lestat video blog, Valentine's Day Special, Spring Preview 2006), which offer our readers unique content that is unavailable elsewhere on the web.
SR: We know the traditional theatergoer embraces Broadway news footage (i.e., b-roll, etc.) but what impact do you think this content has on the tourist market? Does video footage from the production or cast members help convert prospects into ticket buyers?
PW: Sure. Who doesn't want to see what they're buying before they lay down their credit card? The last thing that a producer should cut costs on is b-roll. There have been some instances where we've received video footage from a multi-million dollar Broadway show that is saddled with poor audio, jumpy camerawork or boring editing, which is just a shame. What's even better than just video clips of a show are smart and fun video features that offer users a chance to hear a show talked up by its stars or an inside look on the making of a production. I believe that's the type of video content which appeals to both insiders and more casual theater fans and elevates general interest in the show.
SR: How does Broadway.com's Audience Awards match up with the results of the Tony Awards? Do they yield similar results?
PW: We started the Broadway.com Audience Awards in 2000 because we felt there was a need to honor the favorites of regular theatergoers. We are very clear to say that each of the winners are the "favorite" in the category rather than the "best." Many of the winners do actually go along with the Tony Award results, but there is some variety. Last year, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels beat Spamalot for Favorite New Broadway Musical and actors like Christian Borle (Spamalot), Christian Slater (The Glass Menagerie) and Delta Burke (Steel Magnolias) found themselves winning in acting categories, despite not even earning nominations for Tonys.
What's really fun about the Audience Awards are the categories honoring unique races like Favorite Ensemble Cast, Favorite Breakthrough Performance, Favorite Replacement, Favorite Song and Favorite Onstage Pair. I'm thrilled that the Tonys wised up and are giving out a replacement award, but what about ensemble casts? There's always a deserving show in that race!
Once again, Broadway.com users will nominate their favorites for the 2005-06 Season in early May.
SR: What's your general feeling on the quality of Broadway productions hitting the stage this spring? Do you think the quality and range of productions make for a satisfying season for theatergoers?
PW: I'm a cock-eyed optimist when it comes to questions like this. Sure, there's something for everyone out there. Insiders and critics can whisper about this or that, but "regular" theatergoers will ultimately choose a show for whatever reason, get engrossed in the community experience of live theater and rush home to tell their friends and family what they missed. I went to see Barefoot in the Park last week with a tourist-heavy Sunday matinee audience and they were howling and having a terrific time. So who cares what the critics thought? People definitely left satisfied. In fact, I'm sure you can find satisfied people walking out of any of the 15 new spring productions. If you want my personal take on the new line-up, it seems that all of the plays are coming from England and all of the musicals are coming from Blockbuster as always.
And if all else fails, we have Les Miserables and A Chorus Line on the horizon! Nothing like a familiar friend to keep audiences happy.
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Thank you Paul for your valuable time and insight.
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