Theatre Takes On Social Media

There’s a malady well-known in the undergraduate theatre community.  It begins in late August and symptoms reoccur periodically throughout the year.  Thankfully, there is a support network out there for those of us so afflicted by this terrible disease.  I have been suffering from a flare-up lately.  That’s right.  I’m not ashamed.  I have post-internship depression syndrome (PIDS).

Common symptoms of PIDS include:

• Desperately wanting to be in an office surrounded by scripts.
• A detached desperate feeling to be plugged back into the professional theatre scene.
• Missing working alongside salaried employees and bemoaning your unpaid status.
• A yearning to see the future of professional American theatre created before your very eyes.
• A slight watering at the eyes when Skyping, Facebooking, or texting former colleagues.
• Sinking of heart when reading about something awesome that is happening at your previous place of employment.  When you’re not there.
• Constantly reaching for your phone to share nerdy news that only your co-workers could fully appreciate.

The good news, if you’re afflicted with this condition, is that some of the most exciting theatre companies in America have now joined the 21st century.  Their websites are up to date and slick.  Their Twitters are tweeting.  Their Facebook fan pages have photo exclusives and ticket deals.

I do what I can to stay up to date on the conventional theatre news websites, like Playbill and Broadway.com, but for the younger, fresher, ideas, I often turn to Twitter.  The hashtag #newplay is my best friend.  I can follow dramaturgs who are doing the work I would love to; even LMDA (Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas) has an account.  The national organization for professional not for profit theatre, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), live tweets their conferences and panels.  This is an excellent way to stay up to date.  It’s like you’re in the room with the top theatrical minds sharing in their dialogue.  There are accounts set up exclusively to promote a new play discussion.  The greatest thing about Twitter, as obvious as it may be, is that anyone can add into the conversation if they feel so moved.  This often results in discussions between people who may not otherwise communicate– a writer in San Francisco and an upstart artistic director in New York, a storefront theatre in Chicago and a New York marketing director.  There are blogs that serve this purpose as well.  One of my favorites is Howl Round, maintained by Arena Stage.

Today, something major happened.  The Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, an excellent non-profit theatre with one of the most impressive new play festivals in the country, appointed a new artistic director today, Les Waters, director of many young playwrights and associate director of Berkeley Repertory Theater.  I read about this decision minutes after it was announced, thanks to Twitter.  It then exploded all over my Twitter and Facebook newsfeeds.  I was hearing about it from professional organizations, new play think tanks, and theatrical friends who either had worked for ATL in the past or are interested in their work.  It’s moments like this that I’m reminded how small the theatre community is, and what a community it is.  The excitement generated by this shift in personnel made me excited without having any personal connections to the theatre.  The community, my community, was buzzing. It’s days like this that my PIDS subsides.  I am still at one of the best universities in the world, learning what I need to learn to permanently join the community that I so yearn for, and remain a part of that community, at least technologically.