Social Media within the Performing Arts

 

I watched a live concert this weekend. It was Mahler 5th conducted by Klaus Mäkelä and performed by Cleveland orchestra. Not only was I over 6,000 miles away watching this breathtaking performance but I was watching with my boyfriend, who was also about 6,000 miles away from me, but in the same state as the performance. He had been to watch the concert live the night before and wanted to watch it again with me. It’s an extraordinary time we live in when we are able to watch a performance of such quality in the comfort of our own bed… in my case. 

 

During the Pandemic, live theatre streams as well as pre-recorded versions of productions became a part of our everyday life. Not only for us artists and regular theatregoers but also for an audience who wouldn’t usually attend a show. Going to see a live performance in a theatre is something I take for granted, many people don’t have the means to do this, whether that’s because of the price of theatre tickets, distance to the theatre or simply time constraints. Being able to watch a full-length professional performance via the Internet whether it’s live-streamed or pre-recorded gave these people the opportunity to become involved in the arts. 

 

Social media within the performing arts industry has slowly become more popular but due to the devastating effects of the pandemic, the industry was forced to up its social media game so it could still reach its audiences. I believe this is something that would have happened eventually but due to the situation was expedited. Post-pandemic and arts institutions have continued to develop their social media presence, with lots of companies and productions allowing you to view the performances online for a small fee or subscription. The Royal Ballet, for instance, has recently started its own streaming service where you can watch many of their recorded performances for a small monthly fee. Although watching a recorded or live stream performance is nowhere near as exciting or thrilling as being in the theatre watching live, I do believe it has a place within our industry. Being able to bring the arts within our homes via the Internet does allow us to reach a wide audience and allows audience members to access the arts in a more comfortable environment. As I'm writing this I think about those with learning disabilities to whom the arts are a great asset and an environment where they can thrive and develop but the constraints of sitting in a theatre for two hours can be very intimidating and unobtainable for these individuals. 

 

This area of social media development within our industry really excites me, I believe there is so much more that we can do to develop and expand allowing our industry and our art forms to grow and touch many more people. The way in which we consume the arts has not changed for centuries, with the development of the Internet and social media I believe there is so much more potential growth within this aspect of the industry. 

 

What was your experience during the pandemic and consuming the arts through social media? Do you still continue to use social media to watch various different performances? 

Do you agree that social media within that industry needs to be developed further to allow growth within the performing arts? 

What are your thoughts? I would love to know as this will be the basis of my project.