Within the 21st century how has the use of social media and advances in technology in the digital world impacted the way musical theatre is experienced, consumed and marketed?

Social media and digital technology’s impact on musical theatre is a subject that has not been researched extensively. Digital information and consuming online is relied upon within this age, social media controls our everyday lives, and because this is becoming more dominant, investigating its effects on a worldwide industry only seems natural to the inquisitive mind. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how social media and digital technology impacts three key areas within the industry of musical theatre: experiencing, consuming and marketing. While these subcategories are conjunct in nature, they are also diverse. The public’s responses are intriguing, particularly with the primary research within. Using questionnaires, and Questerviews within the case study drawing upon a sample of anonymous online participants, volunteers, and world class respondents uncovered statistics that exhibited, largely, traditional methods within musical theatre are preferred, particularly in marketing. It was also discovered that while traditional methods of marketing and experiencing live theatre are still integral, digital techniques such as online streaming, and imagined communities on Twitter and Facebook, are continuing to grow in dominancy within the industry, particularly with younger people. Most social media users and theatre-goers are currently younger. However, despite the increasing usage of social media and online tools, most people asked in this study favoured more conventional modes. This highlights that digital media only elevates platforms for musical theatre, thus they cannot stand solitarily, but rather reinforce existing legacy channels. The innovations of social media using digital technology are an everchanging communication medium, and it is inevitable that the future will continue to witness advancements and changes in this sector. Further, this study unlocks avenues of discovery in this very under-researched area of the research literature