30.05.2020 - SSI - Mrs Williams

FESTIVALS FOR SOLIDARITY

I'm starting my research looking through an article on Festivals for Solidarity.  They are following the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on artists and performances.

Here are some quotes from some of the alumni who took part in Valetta Atelier in March 2019.  They came together to discuss the effects of the coronavirus on their countries and performance, festivals and artists, as well as their own experiences.  

"There’s a lot of talk here about putting performances and so online but there’s not overmuch knowledge about how to monetize that so people are quite desperate in terms of productions and festivals being cancelled… but people just don’t know how to put things online and how generate an income through it.” 
Performers do what they love and make a living out of it.  COVID-19 has become a very sticky situation for them as they are not getting paid and venues, other people involved such as lighting and sound technicians are also struggling.  There is an easy way around the lack of performance as it can be put online but there is the struggle of monetisation.

“My own artistic practice is embedded in how you bring people together in an intimately digital way and have a feeling of connection despite being geographically dislocated … So moving to an online space didn’t feel as terrifying as it might do if you’d not come into it from that angle.” 
Some performers enjoy the thrill of live performance with the energy from the crowd.  Bringing people together is such a big part of performance so hopefully people won't feel massively disconnected when performing.  This could potentially become the start of digitising performance.
  
“I would not make an online festival. Our festival is so much about meeting people, having the people from the countryside and the people from the city come together… and it’s also a financial thing, if we make an online festival where can I make the money from the tickets?”  
On the contrary, we have people who really require the energy from a crowd and meeting new people.  Yet again, monetisation is a struggle.

“Even if we are able to control the spread, people are going to be very anxious to go back into a theatre or concert venue with 2000 people at the same time. There’s been a lot of discussion on this shift in the performing arts…there’s been a lot of talk about moving into outside venues where people can have more control of their personal space and what this means.”  
I believe that there will be a much smaller demand for watching performances in venues due to this fear of the coronavirus and being so close to people.  It's a shame that we're scared of human interaction now.  Moving venues outside is a possibility but I do still think that having live performances online will be the start of something new. 

“In the short term, their [resident artists’] income is not under threat but their mental wellbeing is actually at threat. It’s a big challenge so what I’m starting is to hold hangouts with them to check on how they are fairing, how healthy they are, but especially how they spend their time at home and provide them with any tools I can; new articles or music to practice, to stimulate to do but as  a program mer and manger I  feel  responsible them to  do  research.  It’s  a small  thing for  their  mental  health.” 
Performers express their emotions through performances and it's therapeutic as well as fun for them.  Going from performing or in rehearsals, to staying at home and doing nothing is harmful for their mental health and wellbeing.  This is why keeping performances alive online is vital.

“I’m  getting  sick of  this  online  world…  really  I  think  community  and  festival  is  about interaction."
Unfortunately for the foreseeable future, festivals won't be taking place, so adapting to this new online world is quite important and this could be the way things are done from now on.


I found this article very insightful on how the world of performing arts is changing.  It shows that some people are more accepting of this change than others and that some people see a bright future for the arts, unlike others.  Next I'm going to shift my focus onto theatre and I think a good place to start is the National Theatre as I have seen that they are providing content during this pandemic.