To see, or not to see?
...that is the question!
The plight of all South African performing artists is that we want our industry to grow. We dream of living in a performing arts Utopia where audiences are streaming to come and watch our work. The United States, the UK and Australia, amongst others, have very successfully created these Utopias that we dream of. Their industries thrive and they have revolving audiences that support the work they do. Yes, of course it's not always moonshine and roses, even for our international brothers and sisters, but it can be safely said that their systems work.
Now in South Africa it's a different story. We have very particular audiences that tend to only support very specific work. We don't have large groups of revolving audiences that ensure our theaters are generally full most of the time. At the same time, we are very lucky to have the Arts Festivals that people flock to for one specific reason - to supports the arts. Without those Festivals many artists in our country would not survive and our creative spirits would slowly die. That's because in our cities our audiences aren't as consistent as they are at a festival. The cities face huge challenges - crime, poverty, corruption, and multi-cultural differences. On top of that we as South Africans are a very strong sport-watching nation. We love our soccer, our cricket and our rugby, amongst others. In a world where our stadiums are mostly full and our big and small screens are bombarded with advertisements for sports gatherings, it's no wonder that our theaters don't stand a chance. Our bastions of live performance get lost amongst the total euphoria that a bouncing ball can bring about in crowds.
But I believe this can change. Our film industry is growing in such a positive way. Our South African film audiences have come to expect quality work from our film industry, and they are seldom disappointed. This amounts to a "trust" relationship being formed between film and audience. The reason for this "trust" our audiences have invested in film is because our producers and directors are continually producing high-quality, uniquely South African films. People get value for their money, whilst also gaining a sense of patriotism about our beautiful country. A chance to get lost in truly homegrown stories. Nothing compares to the unity one feels when sitting in a SA cinema, watching an SA film. This is amazing, and so exciting!
Don't get me wrong, theatre also achieves this. Although in theatre we achieve it on a much smaller scale. And somehow our theatre industry is struggling. It is not thriving like our film industry, and theatre producers and directors are becoming much more skeptical about what they produce or create. The "gamble" of the producing game is becoming more and more risky, and this is frightening. Why are our theaters suffering and why are people not flocking to our theaters? Could it be that we haven't gained our audiences' "trust"? I don't have the answers, but I am willing to strive to change this reality. I suppose I'm looking for fellow artist to start a conversation. A healthy debate where we beat, bash and carve our way through our concerns, in order to "iron" them out.
What frightens me the most, and I know this will be a touchy subject, but it's the truth, and sometimes the truth is a reality nobody wants to face. But here goes: what frightens me, is that as artists, we rarely support each other's work. We are so quick to complain that our audiences are dwindling, but yet we don't even support each other. The problem, I believe, starts with us. How can we expect audiences to flock to our theaters when we don't flock to support our artist brothers and sisters? We are supposed to live in an industry where we support each other, and we should open ourselves up to feedback from our peers so that we can all move forward and grow together. Why compete? We should be helping each other. If my friend's show does well, then that will have a very positive impact on my show - in a good way (bearing in mind that we are all striving to produce quality work). Your buddy's good theatre "next door" means more people will knock on the next door, and the next, and then your own door, exploring our beautiful industry and what we have to offer. It all adds up, and besides, how can we know what our peers are getting up to if we don't go see their show? Nothing inspires me more than seeing amazing work from my peers! If we truly support (meaning: to bear all or part of the weight; to hold up; endure; tolerate; give assistance to) then soon we should start seeing the re-awakeing of a "trust" relationship with our audiences, and in turn bigger houses.
I know some will read this and be thinking "but I do support", and that's amazing! We need more people like you. But so many of our SA performing artists won't set foot in a theatre unless they have been issued a complimentary ticket. Why is that? Is it because we're always broke? Well, fix the "support" problem and we won't be broke. Or let's introduce and artist's discount system like they have on Broadway and the West End. But staying away is not conducive to growing a sustainable industry. Our bread and butter comes from the work we do, and if we don't support each other then there will be no bread and no butter. We should be lining up to pay to watch our friends express their art.
If we strive to create an industry where we come closer together to help each other grow, I am convinced the public will follow. Let's go and see as much work as we possibly can. There is so much unbelievable talent in this country - let's not let it die. There are so many many many more incredible stories bursting to be told - let's not let them lie, let's bring them to life!
So I urge you, let's be in the theaters as much as possible, discussing work and challenging each other's thoughts and insights. Let's study our industry and see where we can improve...
It starts with us!
