Issue 4 2021

Issue 4 2021 7 others to follow the trailblazers’ footsteps, creating a more diverse group of theatre makers and audience. BroadwayHD also has an educational distribution arm, ensuring the platform is available for schools and colleges to access at a significant discount. By utilising its extensive catalogue, students can study a full range of stage shows and backstage documentaries that highlight the intricacies of a production behind the scenes. Through BroadwayHD’s educational partnership, 4 million students have access to the service across 95 countries with ongoing layers of content and schools being added to the distribution network. The visionaries behind BroadwayHD are partners Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane. It should come as no surprise that this married power couple have prominent theatre careers as a background. Lane is co-owner of the legendary Palace Theatre on Broadway and Comley is a former entertainment reporter for Nightlife TV on The Travel Channel. They have been awarded the highest honours in theatre including nine Tony Awards, two Oliviers and multiple other awards. They will tell you that their first love and passion is for the live stage experience and sharing that experience with others was the impetus for BroadwayHD. As a native New Yorker, Lane started going to Broadway as a child but Comley never saw a Broadway show until after college. Earlier in their relationship, she dubbed him “Mr. Broadway” for his deep knowledge of theatre and he subsequently wrote three theatre history books with her encouragement. Together they married her TV background with his theatre background to form BroadwayHD, a perfect blend of theatre on screen. Under the leadership of Comley and Lane, BroadwayHD’s extensive catalogue of pre COVID-19 recordings and their commitment to their customers to promote and preserve live theatre, will undoubtedly play a part in the recovery of the theatre industry and its subsequent impact on the national economy. In future, if audiences cannot get to a live theatre production, BroadwayHD will continue to bring streaming theatre to them. The formula is a win-win for the future health of Broadway and for global audiences who will never have the opportunity to step inside a Broadway theatre. Company: BroadwayHD Website: www.broadwayhd.com