Building and Fostering Community in the Theatre Industry

I doubt anyone would disagree that the last year has been a tumultuous one. And the last few weeks have been the earth-shattering cherry on the apocalyptic cake for many.

In the wake of the US Presidential election, my social media feeds were filled with grief, rage and despair. Out of this emotional processing, one through-line has emerged from the folks I follow; the importance of community.

Finding community.

Building community.

Engaging in community.

This, naturally, got me thinking about what this looks like in the theatre world. Like many of my peers, I’ve felt the lack of community support in my professional career.

The project-based nature of our work creates a fragmented industry devoid of the community that can be fostered in permanent work environments. due to the project-based nature of our work. The communities based around workshops and classes are dependent on creatives’ time and finances. Even for though who have the means to attend classes, these are often not accessible when working away from your home base. And the drop-in and one-off nature of many classes can hinder a strong sense of community being formed.

Many of us had our strongest sense of community at drama school. The intense environment of training can be a crucible for comradery and friendship to be formed. But after graduation, these bonds are often hard to maintain as classmates, in search of affordable rents or forced back home by cost of living or expired visas, are scattered. And that’s before the normal barriers like differing schedules, increased personal commitments etc.

But what about community outside the industry? Many people don’t look for community inside the workplace - many actively refuse. So, can theatre creatives do the same? Again there are obstacles due to the nature of our work. The unsocial hours of our industry, and many of the industries creatives turn to for resting work, can prevent us engaging in events scheduled around the traditional 9 to 5. And constant movement, either from touring or moving to more affordable areas, can prevent a sense of connection to our local community.

So what’s the solution? As someone who is struggling to square this circle myself, I honestly don’t know. But I have a few ideas and musings that I want to share in the meantime.

In our tech-fueled world, online community is the first port of call for many. It can help us feel plugged into our industry even when out of work, and connects us to like-minded people at anytime from all over the world. And whist I personally don’t think online community is a substitute for in-person community, I do think it can be a short term salve when feeling disconnected, and an enriching addition to our networks.

But what about in person community? In the last few weeks I’ve found that attending events have been a great way to feed into a sense of connection, especially when you go in knowing one or two people already. These events have ranged from friends’ birthday parties to showcases and readings. And having the space to catch up with old friends and be introduced to new ones can be really nurturing.

I’ve also been contemplating whether there’s space for forging small pockets of close community. A tight-knit group with the shared goal of supporting and uplifting each other. It’s a framework trauma resolution educator and coach Rachael Maddox has shared online for business owners, and I feel it could be incredibly powerful to implement as theatre creatives, either in-person, online or hybrid.

What are your thoughts about community building in our industry? I by no means have all the answers, and I’m interested in learning and discovering more.

‘Til next time, loves.

Michaela

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