A Thought on Andy Mientus's Tweet

His tweet calling the person who put up a bootleg ‘a dick’ actually upset me quite a bit. There are a multitude of reasons people post/watch bootlegs, but the main one (for me anyways) is that a lot of people simply can’t watch the real thing. You think I would’nt buy tickets and fly out there right now if I could? I would die for that opportunity, but I can’t. I can’t afford those tickets, let alone the fucking plane ticket to get there. 

Often times, when theater actors win awards or recognitions, they give a shout out in their speech to all the ‘theater kids’. The kids that love watching plays and listening to the soundtracks on repeat, the kids that dream of one day getting to sit in the audience or even stand upon that stage. Because they recall when they too, were that kid with big dreams. Honestly, bootlegs are not costing you money because I can promise you, anyone that has the ability/resources to go see it live, would choose that in a heartbeat over the bootleg. The bootleg is for those of us that can’t. Those of us that wish more than anything we could fly out there and see it. For those of us that love and adore the actors, the costumes, the music- but for whatever reason, are unable to go experience it in real life.

I love Les Miserables, I love Chicago, I love Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked. I love theater, it is one of the very few things in life that makes me truly happy. However, bootlegs are all I have. I live on an island, thousands of miles away from any professional production. Bootlegs at least give me some part of what it might be like to actually see it, with the hopes that one day I actually will. 

To the person who posted the bootleg, to anyone who has ever posted a bootleg; thank you.