How Broadway Navigates Social Media

In a world where social media has essentially taken over all aspects of life, it has become even more crucial that Broadway shows cultivate and engage with audiences online.

Broadway Briefing, a site that publishes a weekly update of Broadway shows and their social media activity. Photo from Broadway Briefing.

Crafting an Online Presence

The start of the pandemic marked a long and difficult road for Broadway. Even today, shows are constantly getting shut down due to Covid cases. Despite these challenges, shows have continued to find ways to keep audiences engaged and interested.

When fall 2021 marked the return of Broadway after a lengthy shutdown, shows needed to find ways to attract audiences back.

In September 2021, however, a study found that only 2 in 5 adults were comfortable with heading back to theatres. The average audience member during the 2018-2019 Broadway season was aged 42. Shows knew it was time to start pursuing younger audiences.

2021 study from reporter Sarah Shevenock, Morning Consult

Prior to the pandemic, Beetlejuice found a young following on Tik Tok, which inspired other shows to start utilizing more social media apps for promotion. In the fall, The Lion King live streamed its opening number via Tik Tok this past fall.

Now, almost all Broadway shows are increasingly active on Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and Facebook.

The Power of Audience Engagement

This increased use of social media has

1. Made shows more accessible

2. Made shows more popular with young audiences

3. Created a participatory culture

With this participatory culture, shows have created a unique way to interact with audiences.

Whether it’s keeping audiences aware of Covid updates or revealing new cast members they are avid social media users.

Waitress announces a new cast member through youtube, #ham4ham, the Hamilton lottery Twitter hashtag, encourages crowds to gather outside the theater.

Tracking Social Stats

In order to track this social media usage, several websites such as Broadway Briefing Pro and Broadway World Tracker publish weekly summary analyses and insights of all social media activity for each Broadway show.

These trends often directly correlate with how well a show performs.

Despite poor press after the release of the Dear Evan Hansen film adaptation, the show remains highly successful and popular.

You Will Be Found

Besides Dear Evan Hansen's plot involving social media, the show itself does a great job at audience engagement. Image from Playbill.

One show that does an exceptional job at maintaining a profound presence on social media is Dear Evan Hansen.

Not only do they post backstage tours, "days in the life," and create recognizable and repostable quotes and graphics, but they also post in support for other fellow Broadway shows.

They also create interactive opportunities to engage with their fans, providing essay contests for scholarship opportunities.

Other shows with standout social media include Hadestown, Moulin Rouge!, and Six.

The Power of Journalists

Many theatre-goers look to the top journalists to find out what shows may be must-sees, and which they should avoid. Therefore, a journalist’s review can be the difference between a show’s success or failure.

Informing the public on the latest Broadway news and updates, they also find ways to attract audiences that may not already be Broadway fans.

Some of the most prominent Broadway journalists include Josh Ferri (Senior Reporter at Broadway.com), Caitlin Huston (former Editor In-Chief at Broadwaynews.com), and Jesse Green. (NYT Co-Chief Theatre Critic and Reporter).

With a mix of professional and personal social media presence, each of these three journalists are most effective by posting relatable, but still reliable, content.

So What?

Even with journalistic influence, however, social media changes the game for Broadway shows. Mean Girls and Frozen both received terrible reviews, but saw immense commercial success purely due to social media presence and a cultivated fan following.

As a social media journalist, looking at these accounts gives me valuable insight into audience engagement methods. Broadway shows are mastering the ability to cater to different age groups and demographics, while also creating a sense of community online globally.

Believe it or not, because of social media, you no longer need to be sitting in a Broadway theater in New York city to be a fan.

Check out different Broadway social media accounts to learn more about what shows you may be interested in!

New York City's Times Square & Theater District. Image from Newsweek.