Hadestown and the Future of Pro-Shots

Hélène Calderin

Writer

August 5, 2026

When people think about musicals and theater, the main things that come to mind are Broadway, big flashy shows, grand dance numbers, and sitting down to watch live performances. This way of experiencing theater was the norm for a long time. But what if there was a new way to watch shows? Pro-shots have been around for roughly 70 years; however, none have truly gained as much traction as they have recently.

In recent years, there has been an uprising of musical pro-shots, not to be confused with movie musicals. The difference between movie musicals and pro-shots is that movie musicals are musicals that are not filmed on stage, with some examples being High School Musical, The Sound of Music, Tick, Tick... Boom!, and La La Land. These films don’t take place on a single stage but instead operate as movies with songs. A pro-shot is a musical that is professionally filmed for the public, such as Hamilton and Hadestown (the newest Broadway pro-shot hit).

Hadestown is a Broadway musical created by Anaïs Mitchell about the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Releasing in 2019, it quickly became a hit and is still running on Broadway to this day as the longest-running show at the Walter Kerr Theatre. In 2025, most of the original Broadway cast got back together for a pro-shot in the UK's West End. This production was publicly released in theaters for a limited five-day run, allowing audiences to see Hadestown "live." It did so well in theaters that the run was extended and officially surpassed Hamilton as the highest-grossing Broadway pro-shot, earning $10.2 million, according to Playbill.

Hadestown: The Musical Official Trailer (2026)

Following Hamilton's Disney+ pro-shot, there has been an increased demand for their releases. Though there have been a multitude of pro-shot musicals since the 1980s, such as Into the Woods (1987), Cats (1998), Waitress (2023), and others, Hamilton being such a big hit, grossing over $10 million, showed the world what accessible theater means for everyone. A main concern about filmed theater is the worry that people would not want to see live shows anymore, but instead, this has had the opposite effect on viewers. Creating accessibility for the public opens doors for people who yearn to see live shows, just as concerts being widely available on YouTube doesn't stop people from going to them in person.

For the future of theater, having pro-shots will not take away from people's desire to attend live shows. Instead, they will make theater more affordable and accessible to those who can't. Theatergoers are not the only people who benefit from pro-shots. These live productions show exactly what is possible when it comes to theater, and for people, especially students, who cannot always see a live production, they offer a glimpse of what that experience can be. While school, university, and local productions are more accessible than traveling to New York City to see a Broadway show or even catching a touring production, filmed shows provide the level of theater experience that many people dream of seeing. They may not be in the physical Room Where It Happens, but they're still Livin' It Up on Top while watching Broadway musicals in movie theaters or at home.

Edited by: Stephanie Rodriguez