I recently went to Devoted and Disgruntled, an open space event where theatre makers get together and discuss, well, pretty much whatever they want. It was my first time attending, and, I have to say, I left far more devoted than disgruntled. I always joke about my low tolerance for theatre people (well, primarily actors) but at DandD I met so many wonderful and inspiring people – all just trying to perpetuate the wondrous world of theatre and all its many shapes and sizes. That being said, there were two themes that cropped up in various forms that I feel strongly about: audiences and advocacy/efficacy. The former, I’ll discuss now.
Audiences. That is perhaps the largest anxiety factor for theatre/performance makers. It’s an issue that’s been brought up to every single theatre conference I’ve ever attended. Ever. For the few civilians reading this, basically we theatre makers sit around asking, “how do we engage audiences?” or more eloquently, “how do we get butts in seat?!”
I wonder if other creatives such as filmmakers, visual or fine artists, or writers ever sit around with their peers about how to engage audiences/patrons/readers. Not to say that they don’t worry about their work being well and widely received, but I doubt there’s as much waffling about it as there is within the theatre community. My guess is that other content creators are more worried about creating quality (subjective, I know) work.
But perhaps that’s because filmmakers, artists, and writers have some sort of tangible, tactile finished product: a film, sculpture/painting/etc, and words on paper. What does the theatre/performance maker have? An event. Although recording theatre productions is becoming more popular, it’s mainly for larger, well-established (and funded) companies – such as the National or RSC.
Which brings me back to the audience anxiety. I tend to have a Field of Dreams mentality: ”If you build it, [they] will come.” Meaning, I believe that theatre makers should focus on creating quality, engaging work and wrangling audiences second.
Although, it is a very close second. That’s because your production (unlike a film, a painting, a book) is for a limited time only – in order to actually build and sort of reputation you will need to have butts in the seats. Hence the anxiety. Cultivating followers and building a “butts in seats” foundation is a lot of hard work.
Imagine a filmmaker never entering their finished product to festivals, or distributing it by some other means, such as online; or if the artists never put their work in a gallery to be seen, talked about, and sold; or the writer never publishing their words for people to read. From a professional standpoint that’s just plain stupid.
Although I’m relatively young in my producing career, it’s surprising how many theatre makers I’ve work for or consulted that have no audience database (or who think social media will magically put butts in seats, but that’s another topic).
If someone at a gallery expresses interest in an artist’s painting, do you think said painter will just say, “cool, thanks” and never contact them? Unless they don’t want to sell their work, that would be a no. Cultivating a core audience following needs to happen from day one of your professional career (even if you’re an independent artist, this advice is not just for companies).
Keep in mind though that people are not sheep and that we should treat audiences as such. (There’s a good blog about just that called Art Orgs Take Note – I am Not an Audience – read it. Now.) We need to be smarter about how we engage people with our work and how we persuade them to see, continue to see, and help spread the word about our work.
Now there have also been discussions that cultivating an audience also mean wrasslin non-theatre-goers, dragging them into a performance space, and tying them down whilst shouting “This is for your own good!!!” (Or maybe that’s just what I imagine when people discuss why everyone needs to go to see theatre.) Although I believe in arts advocacy, I also believe that not everyone enjoys going to a live performance. And that’s ok. Some people don’t like country music, and though I have to suppress the urge to smack them into submission, I simply say that’s ok, whilst simultaneously defending country music. And that’s exactly what I do for the arts.
So here’s to continuing the wonderful and ever evolving tradition of theatre, of sharing a moment in time and a space with strangers, all experiencing the wondrous art of telling a story. And remember, if you build it, they will come. So relax and make some art.
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