The New Yorker’s recent piece, *The Show Can’t Go On*, dives into the struggles of live performance in an era of uncertainty—be it financial, political, or even viral. As someone who breathes dance and performance culture, I couldn’t help but nod along, then pause and ask: *But what if the show must go on?*
Live performance has always been a gamble. Artists pour their souls into fleeting moments, knowing full well that a single misstep, a bad review, or an empty seat can unravel months of work. Yet, the magic of theater, dance, and live music lies in its impermanence. It’s *alive*. And when the lights dim and the curtain rises, there’s an unspoken pact between performer and audience: *We’re in this together.*
But what happens when the world outside makes that pact feel impossible? The New Yorker highlights the very real challenges—rising costs, dwindling audiences, burnout—but I wonder if the solution isn’t to stop the show, but to *reinvent* it.
Maybe the future isn’t grand theaters with velvet seats, but pop-up performances in abandoned warehouses. Maybe it’s digital collaborations that blend live and virtual audiences. Maybe it’s stripping back the spectacle and returning to raw, unfiltered storytelling.
The show *can’t* go on the way it has. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t go on at all. The stage has always been a place of rebellion, of resilience. If anything, now’s the time to rewrite the script—not end it.
What do you think? Should the curtain close, or just rise on something new?
