In this day and digital age, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone -- especially of the millennial and younger generations -- that does not interact with the world in some capacity behind a screen. There's no denying it, and there's no escaping it -- it's part of the world now, part of the conversation, part of how we relate to and/or correspond with others. I'm not here to step up onto a soapbox about internet usages or how social media has changed our relationships with each other and the rest of the world: I am definitely not qualified to speak to that. I'm here to simply point out the obvious: because of the accessibility to everyone the internet grants us, there are certain expectations on us artists to keep up an online presence.
I'm not sure when this happened, when this became standard, but here in NY, you might walk into an audition or submit for a project online, and you are flat-out asked for your social media handles -- your Instagram, your Tiktok, your Twitter, even your number of followers. It's wild; when you really stop to think about how bizarre it is to be an artist, given all the unique-to-our-industry expectations and commonplace situations there are, I can't help but laugh sometimes. What does a picture of my breakfast while on vacation have anything to do with my ability to perform? A Boomerang of my dog on our morning walk? A Spongebob meme? Surely my talent speaks for itself, my "following" isn't that important.
Well, unfortunately, I wish that were the whole truth.
I'll be frank here: while the theatre is a form of art, it is first and foremost a business. Performers are employees, casting and creative are employers, productions or projects are jobs, and theatre patrons ultimately provide our paychecks. Theatre can only continue when audiences attend shows, plain and simple. And because of that, there is some assumption that actors, musicians, and performers will put butts in seats, audiences that know them or support them. So when we step back and consider the industry in terms of numbers, those with a bigger following and personal audience are automatically more attractive to producers that are "betting" on those performers, so to speak.
Honestly, I don't love that this is an undeniable truth of the theatre world today. I think it should be all about the talent, about the right person being given the role, but because this industry is built on the concept of "who you know, not what you know", it only makes sense that this was the path we were destined to go down the minute we joined the digital age.
So what can we do? What does this mean for us?
It may not be what you want to hear, but the simplest answer is to drink the Kool-Aid. Don't go all in if that's not your style (trust me, I understand -- the day I start making Tiktoks is the day you should be worried about me), but dip your toe into the pool(s) that most interest you. If that pool is exclusively social media, jump in with both feet! Make those videos and share those pictures, have fun. If you'd prefer to keep away from social media, create a website and share the best of you on it. A website is a little more challenging to build that following we talked about because there's less interaction and fewer opportunities for updates on a website than the socials, but don't underestimate the power of a good website. At the end of the day, you're doing this to get your name out there, not only to general theatre-goers but to the casting directors and creatives that you'll be auditioning for.
Sooooooo many jobs are booked from casting just surfing the web for talent and coming across either social media profiles or professional websites. I've seen it happen again and again! So see this as an opportunity rather than a curse: at least in this way, you are in complete control of what you showcase as an artist to the world. When there is so much uncertainty everywhere else in the performing arts, it's kind of liberating to know that this corner of the internet is entirely yours. However, as Stan Lee would tell us, "with great power comes great responsibility". The internet is forever and all that, so a word to the wise: either make separate accounts / sites for work and play, or be prepared for the fact that those behind the table will be looking you up and coming across both.
For me personally, I made the decision to create a "public persona" social media presence that is separate from my private accounts. I'm pleased that it has allowed me the freedom to share more personal posts with my closest family and friends, and save all my theatre stuff for the more public forum on my professional account. I also have my website/s to house my working resume, my reels and performance samples, and my all-things-theatre blog. But every performer is different! If you decide that all your accounts and sites are public or all in one place, go for it, I love that for you! Do what's right for you, what feels most comfortable to you, and what would make your doomscrolling less anxiety-inducing (goodness knows we can all do with less anxiety and stress these days).
Thanks for reading, #DreamTeamHLJ, and be sure to like, comment, subscribe, swipe right, follow, post, tweet, snap, all that good stuff (what else are the kids doing these days?).
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