1 Why Theatre
Why Theatre? – The Real Deal
A play, even a boring one, is rooted in an empathetic desire to commune with others, which is more than you can say about mowing the lawn, waxing your car, trading stocks or any of the other millions of ways we spend our brief moments on earth.
From the rehearsal process to the experience of live performance, the theatre presents the world with a working model of co-operation, collectivity and community. This makes the theatre essential to a world where the pursuit of individual wealth and consumerism is leading us to economic, environmental and cultural collapse. The theatre provides citizens with a space to experience the joy of togetherness.
– Theatre of the Unimpressed by Jordan Tannahill (p. 89)
Activity: Why do you want to pursue a career in theatre? Write a list that would convince even the biggest naysayer.
Why theatre? It’s a question I’ve been asked many times. I know that students also have to respond to it quite often, usually as they are asked to justify their chosen area of study. This question also does not go away after you graduate. Unfortunately, you may find you’ll be asked it a lot as you begin your career. You’ll get to a point where you’ll have a response in your back pocket that you can whip out without thinking.
Theatre is an act of hope – to create rather than destroy. Strangers become makeshift families. – Martyna Majok, World Theatre Day 2023
There are many answers, from the transferable skills it provides to the community impact. In most cases, those of us who pursue theatre don’t feel we could be happy or fulfilled doing something else.
First let’s dispel a few myths, not to burst anyone’s bubble, but because the goal of this book is to realistically explore a career in the theatre. I’ve often come across students who dream of being a huge success and becoming famous, or at least recognized. They are thinking of Broadway or ultimately pursuing film. But, for the most part, being in theatre is a lot of work with little monetary reward. Do not go into it for the money or the fame. You may end up being part of that small percent who have talent, craft, and luck leading to a big break. However, even a big break doesn’t last forever without the continued effort to keep your career going. For most entering a career in theatre, the love of what you do and passion for the art form will drive you through the rough times. What you can aim for as realistic ‘success’ is steady work in your chosen field over the long-term.
In terms of the opposing myth about theatre, we often hear about the starving actor. Yes, this can be true at times in a career. That’s why planning and having transferable skills are crucial to make sure that you have ways to pay the bills when you aren’t getting gigs. This is also, as we explore in comparing self-employment with employment in Chapter 6, why some move to the admin or management side of things where they can earn a steady income.
Another big myth from those outside of theatre is that it is all fun, games, play and that many in theatre are flighty artists. I’ve been told, when volunteering outside the arts, that there was hesitation when they saw I was in theatre as they didn’t know if I’d be reliable. Nothing could be further from the truth. Theatre is all about being reliable, being on time, meeting deadlines, working with budgets, multi-tasking, organization and planning. The reality is theatre requires many skills. Even if you stick to an artistic path of being an actor or playwright, you are going to run your own business (you are the business). This means managing your career and handling administrative tasks. You will spend a good portion of your time pursuing work or opportunities. Many go into theatre to be artists, because of the belief that art is powerful and it feeds their soul. This is true, but love it or hate it the business side of the profession is crucial and teaches us amazing skills.
Now, just to get on the same page, it is important to expand the notion of what theatre is.
I think that a lot of emerging people’s idea is Stratford and Shaw, which, no shade on them, it’s just, there’s a lot more to this puzzle that can be told. So, I think that history and then even ancient history, like actually understanding Japanese theatre, African theatre, various African diaspora theatre, Indian theatre. Cultures where this has been much deeper than, you know, whatever, some Canadian new play in the seventies. And what’s more important with that for me, though, is an understanding that those traditions come with a formal search. So, there’s the content and there’s the form. And when you start to investigate that, you become more open to what theatre can possibly be. Masks, dance, theatre, music, the merging and melding and meeting of these points. That’s how we told stories for centuries. Because of ritual and community and gods and all of these things that were real, they weren’t ideas. And they’re in our bodies as people. So, it’s just a deeper root and connection to the politics and that we’ve been doing this for so much longer and in so many more ways. – Ravi Jain, Artistic Director, Why Not Theatre, Toronto, ON
Storytelling and ritual have existed long before Broadway, Stratford, regional stages, or even Canada. There is clearly a human need for expression, for sharing as a community, for documenting, and for experiencing something beyond the intellectual.
…it is probably the only job I have ever had in my life, where I felt I was using every single one of my skills. So, there is a huge degree of personal satisfaction. And that ability to be creative, to be a leader in the way I want to be a leader. I think that the beauty of the arts is that it offers me space to continue to be very politically engaged. You probably heard a little bit of that in my background. What I find about the arts and through theatre is, that we’re able to have conversations on extremely important, really relevant current and social considerations in a way that has direct personal impact, which I feel is the key way to facilitate transformation and change. If people were impacted personally, there’s that additional understanding, hopefully, the development of empathy and a call to action. – Lori Marchand, Managing Director, NAC’s Indigenous Theatre, Ottawa, ON
Activity: Write out a response to the following so you have it for future reference. What is the first show you remember seeing that moved you, inspired you, or made you want to be in theatre? What made it so impactful?
As noted, even for those who do not pursue theatre as a lifelong career, theatre will give students transferable skills. It also benefits those who are exposed to it as audiences and as an extracurricular activity. In a study by Dr. Natasha Kirkham the effects of live theatre on children were explored. Overall, theatre and drama had positive outcomes for children as young as three years old. Key benefits were: improved social tolerance with deeper understanding, absorption of content, increased tolerance and ability to question; improved academic performance boosting performance by 4%; and positive social change particularly for developing minds by facilitating self-efficacy and ability to broach difficult issues.
“Theatre can improve social bonding, allow for emotions to be explored in a safe space, develop the emotional and cognitive skills to deal with a complicated world, and kick-start conversations about important issues.”
– Dr. Kirkham, Access to the Arts Shown to Increase Academic Performance – SYTA
I have worked with a range of emerging artists from students to community and have seen first-hand the ability that theatre has to build confidence, self-expression, and even develop greater cognitive ability. It teaches us to work with others, see things through other people’s experience, and empathize. It makes us better human beings. It also has benefits for those entering other fields due to the “human skills” that are honed and are now recognized as huge assets.
According to The Conference Board of Canada’s 2020 report “The Future is Social and Emotional: Evolving Skills Needs in the 21st Century”:
“Human skills” is an emerging phrase that includes several coexisting skill sets that industry reports rate higher than or equal to technical skills. Human skills help students achieve their academic and career goals.
More and more, employers require new hires who not only possess specialized knowledge and technical skills, but who can also communicate their knowledge, work effectively in teams, demonstrate leadership, think critically, and adapt to changing and ambiguous circumstances—no matter their field of work.
– “The Future is Social and Emotional: Evolving Skills Needs in the 21st Century”
Many businesses are now looking for employees who have critical thinking and problem-solving abilities; as well as those who can demonstrate self-awareness, acute listening and strong public speaking. Theatre training is therefore a huge asset.
Responding to questions about which skills will be prized by future tech employers, Kuestenmacher argued: ‘the most important subject in school is not necessarily maths or science to survive in the tech world. It would be theatre – drama – where you learn how to interact with other people in a collaborative way.’
– Jo Pickup, Why drama is the most important school subject – Artshub
Finally, when having to justify why theatre is important, there is an economic benefit to the arts. Some prefer not to focus on this as it promotes a notion that the arts are an industry and only valuable for their dollar value rather than intrinsic value. However, it is a solid way to advocate for their existence, especially when one hears the argument that taxes should not go towards supporting the arts. The reality is government funding of theatre is an investment that does more than pay for itself.
In my municipality, the Winnipeg Arts Council has done great work to demonstrate this in regular impact reports:
- In 2019, the arts and creative industries in Winnipeg were worth $1.6 billion in real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) – up 22 % over the last decade. [WAC report]
- Annual tax revenue returned to the City by artists and cultural organizations funded or supported by the Winnipeg Arts Council is about $4.7 million.
- Federal cultural investment (including broadcasting) ranges from 4.16 to 4.25 billion dollars annually. GDP in 2017 was 53.1 billion with 666,500 jobs.
Unfortunately, culture workers and supporters spend a lot of time educating and convincing people about the value of the arts.
Former Senator Pat Bovey created a Declaration on the Essential Role of Artists and Creative Expression that has had a third reading and is hopefully going to continue to move forward despite her retirement. It proposed the arts not as its own silo but as the motor of every successful society. Arts and Culture pays back three times, at all three levels of government, the funding invested. The draft bill set out to:
- Recognize the arts as essential
- Enshrine the right of participation and access to attendance
- Give artists the right to be present at the table for decision-making
- Commit to representing artists to the world
- Outline the need for investment
- Commit to access for anyone with a disability
- Guarantee freedom of speech as a society
So I came into the theatre really from that perspective about the role it was playing, the changes that were going on in the province [Newfoundland] at the time. The arts were playing a big role in that and that’s really what brought me into the theatre. And then obviously I stayed, but it started with what that form of expression could be, because there was very little at that time that came from our own voices. – Donna Butt, Artistic Director, Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, NL
It is important to acknowledge, even as a true theatre believer, that some of the challenges in keeping theatre relevant are a result of how the western model of theatre has been ingrained as ‘mainstream’ in Canada, creating a sense of elitism. Much of the current and future work is about access, relevancy, and greater disruption of an industry that has not historically been equitable or even healthy.
Nina Simon defines relevancy as “…something we are hungry for in our hearts.” She goes on to say:
The question is never ‘is it relative’, but ‘WHO is it relative to?’ or ‘WHAT is it relevant to?’
An exercise in empathy, understanding your audience and what matters to them rather than to you.
– The Art of Relevance by Nina Simon (p. 41)
So, that does lead to a discussion about how the industry is set-up, how plays are selected, who current audiences are, and the reality of a history of racism and colonization in theatre. Answering the question ‘Why theatre?’ isn’t to justify theatre as it currently exists, but the hope for a theatre that is developing.
Theatre is certainly a place where community is forged. Other industries are always surprised when I share how collegial it is. When I ran an independent theatre company, other theatres were never seen as competition. We all supported each other because the more people who are exposed to live performance the better for all of us in the theatre world. We need to work together to open the doors and hopefully engage new audiences who will keep going to shows.
Theatre has faced a necessary reckoning due to past practices. That makes it harder to defend at times, especially to those who see it as elitist and a waste of tax dollars. It is also often affected by inflation as it can be seen as a luxury that patrons can’t afford when times are tough. Statistically, if parents don’t introduce their children to the world of the stage then they are less likely to attend in the future. There are also technological changes as we compete with other mediums. And of course we witnessed the profound effects of the pandemic on live performance and this continues to reverberate. When this book was compiled, recovery was ongoing with lower subscription and attendance as well as the reality that many arts workers exited the industry due to the precariousness of work during the COVID years. It resulted in rethinking of priorities leading to some positive change but also a loss in the workforce.
Despite all of this, theatre continues to survive and with some reimagining many artists and companies have found ways to thrive. I always come back to the quote “Theatre is like throwing a brick through a window rather than writing a strongly worded letter.” I’ve had it above my desk for decades but it is unattributed (if anyone knows the source please let me know). For me it has always had this kind of impact.
What we do in the world of theatre as playwrights, directors, actors, scenographers, poets, musicians, choreographers and technicians, all of us without exception, is an act of creating life that did not exist before we got on stage. This life deserves a caring hand that holds it, a loving chest that embraces it, a kind heart that sympathizes with it, and a sober mind that provides it with the reasons it needs to continue and survive.
I am not exaggerating when I say that what we do on stage is the act of life itself and generating it from nothingness, like a burning ember that sparkles in the darkness, lighting the darkness of the night and warming its coldness. We are the ones who give life its splendor. We are the ones who embody it. We are the ones who make it vibrant and meaningful. And we are the ones who provide the reasons to understand it. We are the ones who use the light of art to confront the darkness of ignorance and extremism. We are the ones who embrace the doctrine of life, so that life may spread in this world. For this, we exert our effort, time, sweat, tears, blood, and nerves, everything we have to do in order to achieve this lofty message, defending the values of truth, goodness, and beauty, and truly believing that life deserves to be lived. Samiha AYOUB, Egyptian Actor (World Theatre Day 2023)
Many others in copious books, articles, interviews…etc. have spoken about the meaning that the arts provide. Ultimately it is about fulfillment for those who choose to dedicate themselves to it, while also needing to pay the bills.
For those who have the kind of personality and the aptitude and even just the affinity for the arts, they will find a place for themselves that is more like a home than any other job that they could possibly find. There is nothing like working for an organization where you are creating something beautiful for the community. You know that, yeah, it’s just the best feeling.
Don’t be scared off by budgets and the planning and the shifting priorities and, you know, rapidly changing situations. Ultimately, you are part of a team that’s doing something big and important. – Haanita Seval, Director of Marketing, PTE, Winnipeg, MB
Why the Business of Theatre?
As mentioned before, most people don’t get into theatre for the love of business. However, it does require business knowledge so you can pay the bills. Definitely a lot of the business side is needed if you want to run a company, work in administration or production manage. In order to make a living though, it is something everyone from designers to props coordinators will need to understand. Knowledge is power and if you understand how things work you will have more control, better chances of working successfully, and the necessary information to push for change.
Based on our national survey of graduates that helped to launch this book, what has been missing is greater knowledge. As I now look back on a couple decades of work, here are the things I wish I had known when I graduated:
- How much accounting, budgeting, finance, numbers… I’d have to deal with.
- That 50% of what I needed to be doing was business and not art and how much that sucks.
- How to ‘sell’ my work and promote myself.
- How to say no.
- That it is more important to do things well rather than trying to do it all.
- Find allies, team members, mentors, ask for help! I too often tried to do it alone.
- How much the way I was taught to do things needed to change and that I needed to unlearn much of it for a better work/life balance.
Activity: Go back to your initial list of why you want to pursue theatre. Anything you want to add or take away from your initial arguments?
For those needing further ammunition, here are both cited works and a few other resources that explore the benefit of the performing arts:
Theatre of the Unimpressed by Jordan Tannahill (both a love letter to theatre but also a critical evaluation of what isn’t working in the existing model)
The Art of Relevance by Nina Simon (although focused more on the visual art world in the States, it is highly relatable to what has kept theatre elitist)
WAC probe report-web-F.indd (winnipegarts.ca)
Access to the Arts Shown to Increase Academic Performance – SYTA
“The Future is Social and Emotional: Evolving Skills Needs in the 21st Century”
Art and Social Impact – https://ww2.americansforthearts.org/explorer
10 Reasons Why You Should Expose Your Child To Theatre – Theatre Nerds
Enough – Plays to End Gun Violence
Why Drama is the Most Important School Subject – Artshub
World Theatre Day – International Theatre Institute ITI (world-theatre-day.org)