idk but if ur argument to an international theatre fan talking about bootlegs is that “you’re running us out of a job by watching these!” please note that said international fan is not regularly contributing to the economy of broadway anyway and watching a bootleg in italy deals

no long-term damage to broadway as a business. when i first got into theatre i was 10 years old, lived on the other side of the country, and had no income or means to travel to nyc. i watched boots because it was all i could do to expand my musical knowledge and because of

that, my interest in theatre has grown and now i am 22 and have seen 49 shows in new york. i don’t know if my sustained love for theatre could personally have flourished as much without boots (and proshots, because those helped too). i’m a very visual person. cast albums are

great, but it’s easier for me to follow a story and idea in visual forms. i’m not saying that every person ever should illegally record shows and distribute them, i just think that some arguments against bootlegs are misdirected.

and like me across the country, i know a ton of international fans still come support live theatre and see broadway shows when they come to new york!! it’s my belief that bootlegs expand broadway interest, not belittle its existence. BUT all this to say, theatre should still be

more accessible. obviously not every show has proshot footage. but i hope that in the future we see more great performance recordings, that the tonys come back as strong as ever with performances to blow us all away, that theatre continues to thrive.

also i would need more than two hands to count the amount of shows i’ve paid to see live after watching a boot or listening to an audio. boots boost my love for a show; they don’t deter me from seeing/supporting it

and i say all this as someone who has a part-time job and the income/means and privilege to travel to nyc on occasion. there are SO many bway fans who DON’T have that luxury and i don’t think they should be condemned for enjoying shows however they can