The Broadway production of James Graham’s “Punch” will be livestreamed during its final week of performances. Through a partnership with the League of Live Stream Theater (LOLST), the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC)-produced production will be streamed during each of the eight performances from Oct. 28 through Nov. 2 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
This marks the second Broadway production for which MTC has offered live broadcast performances. In fall 2023, LOLST streamed the final performances of the Tony Award-nominated “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.”
“The League of Live Stream Theater is a nonprofit committed to expanding access, building audiences and supporting the theaters that create the work,” LOLST co-founder Oren Michels said in a statement. “Streaming ‘Punch’ helps this important story reach people who might not have seen it otherwise, extending its impact to audiences everywhere.”
“Assuring wide access to the work on our stages is a top priority at Manhattan Theatre Club,” added MTC executive director Chris Jennings. “We have been pleased to provide free or discounted tickets to our production of ‘Punch’ to students, teachers and community partner organizations, and are thrilled that this collaboration will make the show available to people around the country who would not otherwise experience this brilliant piece of powerful theater.”
Directed by Adam Penford and based on Jacob Dunne’s memoir “Right From Wrong,” “Punch” examines the idea of restorative justice as Jacob, a young man recently released from prison, connects with the parents of the boy he killed. Following previews that began on Sept. 9, “Punch” opened on Sept. 29. The drama will conclude its limited run on Nov. 2. Will Harrison plays Jacob in a company that includes leads the company as Jacob, along with Camila Canó-Flaviá, Victoria Clark, Kim Fischer, Cody Kostro, Piter Marek, Jacob Orr,Sam Robards, Lucy Taylor and Amber Reauchean Williams.
Beyond “Punch” and the aforementioned “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” other Main Stem productions to sell tickets for livestream performances include 2021’s “Clyde’s” and 2022’s “Between Riverside and Crazy,” both of which were mounted on Broadway by Second Stage Theater.
