adminArts Focus with Raisedon Baya
The rise of social media now means easy interaction with anyone. Some people who were previously inaccessible to the general public are now just a few buttons away. All one needs to do is type a message and click a button. Recently I have been getting interesting messages on my Twitter and Facebook pages. Most of the messages are messages of appreciation from people that have come into contact with my work, especially my writings. Some call these people fans. I think they are more than just that and I love their messages. The messages come without warning. Boom!
Anytime. Any day. They are in your inbox. If truth be said these messages are like payment, in some cases more than payment. They motivate. They inspire. Personally, they make me want to continue doing what I do. Once or twice you get the not so nice ones. The bitter messages from pseudo critics, failed artistes, or generally nasty people, people you sometimes feel do not even understand where you are coming from or the context of your work. These tell you your work is bull. Mediocre. Nothing to sing about. They tell you that you are not as talented as you think you are.
These have no time to hide their feelings in words. They tell it exactly the way they want you to feel. Reading the harsh criticism sometimes feels like drinking poison. Every word is bitter and corrosive. However, great consolation comes from knowing that criticism makes us stronger. Criticism is the reality most creatives must face and learn to live with. There is no choice really but to soldier on, hiding one’s wounds and scars from public and the critics themselves, especially from critics. These should never see one’s wounds or scars. Then there are those that come seeking for career advice.
Dear Mr Baya
I am a young man who just finished school. (Usually this means O or A-level). I hear you are into theatre. I would also like to be involved. How do I get into theatre?
Well, half the people who ask me about getting into theatre mostly have no clue what theatre is all about. So if I am in the right mood, I start explaining from the beginning. What is theatre? The history of theatre? What is Zimbabwean theatre? What are the gaps? What are the opportunities in the sector? You see, the thing about theatre is that it’s theatre; its an ancient form of art that can be traced a thousand years back. Remember Shakespeare said the world is a stage.
He was very right.
Theatre is found in almost every culture. Theatre is fun, but it’s also hard work and there is a lot of stigma attached to theatre and the arts in general. Theatre is associated with laziness. With trivia. With playing. Most people don’t even recognise it as work. And because of the stigma it can be daunting to choose to follow a career path in theatre or arts in general. Kunzima.
No wonder why Amakhosi Theatre’s tagline is Umkhulu luMsebenzi. Cont Mhlanga experienced everything before coining that tagline. My first advice is always that theatre and the arts in general are drugs. Once you start dabbling in the arts chances are high you will get addicted. And in most cases once you are addicted it will be difficult to let go. Life will be tough, your friends will laugh at you, you will have moments of regret, like any other addiction, it will rough you. However, on the good and better days it will make you so high you will forget all your troubles or fears.
My second piece of advice is do not be interested in theatre or the arts because you think they will take you overseas. I know a lot of people who made that mistake. They came into the arts but realised too late that European trips are not as easy as they seem from the outside. We are not even exporting as much arts products as we should be and besides getting visas for African artistes is becoming a nightmare, more so now when European countries are busy tightening their immigration laws.
The most important advice I usually give is that if you are really serious about getting into theatre, or any art form, then the best thing is to start by watching what is there. If your interest is theatre watch local theatre, anything and everything. If it’s dance look for dance performances and consume as much as possible. You will never get indigestion from too much dance. If it’s music do the same. Whenever there is a show please attend. See how things are done. See the atmosphere. Talk to the performers and crew. Besides getting to understand the craft and the opportunities in the sector you may just love the experience.
If you are lucky some of the shows might actually be life changing, very enjoyable. For theatre many also make the mistake of thinking it is only about acting. That is really a myopic view. There are many things one can do in the theatre besides acting. One can be a playwright, a dramaturgy, producer, designer, technician, or many other things.
But it is important to be involved somehow — as an audience member or volunteer in some capacity. Getting involved before diving in gets you close, and makes you see beyond the pretentions and sector lies. I am saying this because you have to know what its all about before you seriously get involved in it. Get to know the current trends. Who is doing what? Who is who in the sector? Most important get to see as many shows/performances as possible.
Once you have done that then you are ready to be in theatre or arts in general.
Always remember you cannot create good art or be involved in good arts projects if you are blind or totally unaware of current trends. This past month there were about three theatre shows in Bulawayo. Ben 10. Addicted. Ja Hlako.
And how many did you watch? There will be about the same number in April. How many will you watch? Get involved first.
On another matter a friend of mine asked me an interesting question this past week. He fears that the advent of social media is making events marketers very lazy and less creative. All they do now is market events via Facebook, whatsapp, twitter and instagram. All he sees now is a graphic designer sitting to work and the rest is pretty obvious. Flooding social media with posters. Of course, social media is literally free. A few clicks away and you have reached the “market”. But the big question that begs an answer is: Is everyone on social media? There are lots of potential audiences that are not on social media that we are not reaching out to. Let’s think beyond social media and try to find ways and means to reach out to other audiences that social media is yet to reach. His question led to many questions.
Some very difficult to answer. Questions like: Are we even planning our marketing of events or it’s by instinct? Just doing the obvious. Getting the obvious results. Do we even research on our audiences? Do we know what they want?
Or we are just fishing in the dark, hoping to catch anything hungry enough to bite our lousy bait? Is everyone who puts up an event a marketer? Is it not high time we leave marketing to those that know what it’s all about? Just food for thought.
For reviews and comments get in touch with me via these platforms:
Twitter: @raisedonb
Facebook: Raisedon Baya
WhatsApp: 0782447731
Gmail: [email protected]
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