The SA State Theatre has launched SAST TV, a video streaming platform promising to “bring the magic of live theatre directly into homes across SA and beyond”. This is a welcome initiative, though its success will depend on the polish of the filmed product (and the marketing engine to promote it) and the primary theatrical product. Opinions in the performing arts sector about the state theatre’s capacity to achieve a consistently high standard are mixed.

Further questions remain: will SAST TV generate revenue that will support new work? Or will it be a subsidised drain on already limited state arts funding? Who decides which shows get filmed? Can other theatres benefit from the film-making and streaming infrastructure?..

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