Innovate, not just replicate.

Those four words would serve as a guidepost for London’s Young Vic as its staff navigated the pandemic. Known for its pioneering programming, the theatre emphasizes learning and discovery. The company operates with a mandate to let artists lead. And the team believes theatre is best when everyone can participate.

So when COVID-19 forced lockdowns and social distancing, it was imperative the Young Vic find new ways to fulfill its mission. Centerpiece engagement programs moved to virtual gatherings. But then staff began to explore creative options for its traditional stage offerings. They saw a market saturated with online arts content.

“We knew we had to enter with something that would allow us to produce online content in a new and exciting way.”

“If we wanted to make our mark in this space,” says Rathi Kumar, the Young Vic’s Operations Director, “we knew we had to enter with something that would allow us to produce online content in a new and exciting way.”

The result is Best Seat in Your House, the Young Vic’s multi-camera broadcast platform that launched in August 2021. Kumar shared its origin story with attendees at the Tessitura Learning & Community Conference in Denver.

Best Seat in Your House takes livestreaming to a new level. The player gives audiences a say in how they watch a performance. Viewers can switch back and forth from at least six camera angles. Or they can sit back and enjoy the director’s cut of the show.

The enhancements don’t stop there. The Best Seat in Your House experience also centers accessibility. Every performance includes live captioning, audio description and British sign language. Ushers respond to online chats to ensure service levels like those provided in the venue.

“We know the experience of theatre online is not the same as theatre in person,” Rathi says. “But if we could enhance the streaming experience through multiple viewing angles and ultimately create a more engaging, immersive and accessible product, we hoped this would broaden the streaming appeal.”

The experiment surpassed expectations and expanded the Young Vic’s reach to a global theatre audience. Viewers from as far away as Australia, Japan and Rwanda joined those in Europe and North America for streamed performances.

“Feeling part of an international community and creating the opportunity for that community to experience our stories from wherever they are located is one way to minimize our differences and reinforce our common humanity,” Rathi says.

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Rathi Kumar presented this talk as part of the Innovator Series at the Tessitura Learning & Community Conference in August 2022. Want to experience Best Seat in Your House? Check out this online demo or watch the Young Vic’s premiere musical Mandela, streaming Jan. 19–23, 2023.