“Give us your plays, your concerts, your high school musicals yearning to stream free!” STAGE, the premiere streaming service devoted to the entire world of theatre, announces today that it would like to become the temporary digital home to each and every live theatrical production that has shuttered early due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Theatrical licensors — and the rights holders they represent — have stepped up to the plate in unprecedented ways to make emergency streaming licenses available for hundreds of plays and musicals at this time and STAGE wants to do its part to help get them beamed into your living room or onto your smartphone or tablet device. And, when possible, they want to do it absolutely free of charge.

“The world is a little bit upside down right now,” said Jesse L. Kearney, Chief Operating Officer. “Necessary social distancing has completely crippled the performing arts industry as we know it. Theatres — and theatre people alike — are being forced to innovate and find unique ways to reach audiences in the world of self-quarantine. A popular solution is streaming technology, but there’s still a bit of a learning curve. The licensing companies are doing an amazing thing, but the rules and regulations can make things more complex than just posting your show on YouTube. As one of the few players in this field, we want to make sure that we’re doing our part to help those in need make the digital jump.”

“Look — did your drama club get stuck in the woods before the 'last midnight'?,” added Bobby Traversa, Executive Vice President. “Don’t wait until ‘tomorrow', get ahold of us today so that we can help make sure the show actually does go on. When my partners and I launched STAGE, we set out to create an awesome companion piece to the live theatrical experience utilizing streaming technology. Since then, we’ve been able to beam live plays, musicals, and more onto your smartphone, tablet, TV, or personal computer. We’ve already figured the tech part out.”

Interested parties should contact the STAGE team immediately by emailing [email protected]. All streaming rights and licenses will need to be obtained independently by the theatrical organization/producer before their work can be shown on STAGE and its branded iOS, Android, AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Google Chromecast apps. Eligible amateur, educational, and professional theatre companies may have their work hosted on STAGE during the length of the COVID-19 lockdown.

STAGE is the premiere streaming service devoted to the entire world of theatre. From iconic live performances to exclusive, edgy originals - STAGE features unique collections of films, TV, documentaries, and more with dedication to hidden gems and underserved audiences. Whether you’re just getting to know the magic of theatre or you’ve already gone full-out theatre geek, STAGE is your digital home for shows about shows, people behind-the-scenes, and drama about the drama. Find STAGE in your favorite app store or on the web at www.watchstage.com.