In this day and age, we are constantly surrounded by a wealth of technology available at our fingertips to entertain us. Whether it be Netflix, YouTube, or another (less legal) method of streaming, there's no shortage of resources for us to watch anything we could possibly want for little to no cost. Because of this, many people seem to think that live theatre is on the decline, but that couldn't be farther from the truth; in fact, it's going just as strong as ever. So, in this modern age of convenience, why do people pay to go to the theater when they could just as easily find a recording of just about any show online for free? There is a plethora of reasons that theatre and live performances are incredibly beneficial to the actors, technicians, and all those involved in the production itself, but that's for a different article--what is the audience getting out of it?

Live performances offer a certain thrill that can’t be found in any other medium. When a performer is onstage, they know that there are hundreds, even thousands, of people there watching and counting on them to deliver a show worth watching. There are no second takes, no commercial breaks to catch their breath, and no chances to back up and try it again. All those people in the audience are along for the ride. The actors and the audience feed off each other's energy. Live theatre provides a certain proximity that doesn't exist in film or television; the audience is occupying the same space, experiencing the same moments, and breathing the same air as the people they've come to watch. Both parties know that at any moment an actor could forget a line, the set could malfunction, or the lights could go out. In live theatre, anything can happen, and that’s part of the excitement, part of why people still come. It’s something that no other kind of entertainment can offer. It’s a give-and-take relationship between actors and audience, a way for the people on both sides of the curtain to forget everything for a few hours and get lost in this world they're creating, and it’s something that’s existed for as long as people have been telling stories. Live theatre has always been around, entertaining audiences long before the advent of radio, television, or film. It connects us to the most human parts of our history, drawing a long line from us to the most ancient of our ancestors. In short: it’s timeless. That’s why we still have live theatre.