BWW Blog: Dayana Sanchez - Live Action Packed Theater

"Please turn off your phone!" "Technology is a waste of time!" "BE PRESENT!"

If you are going to college, you have most likely heard your teacher, professor or mentors constantly repeat how much the Iphone/Galaxy, you payed for has become a terrible habit of yours; specifically for us Theatre Majors, who have classes that are very hands-on.

We might get annoyed and turn off our phones or just find sneaker ways to get around it. Either way, we tend to be more present in class because we literally don't have time to be on our phones. LITERALLY. Our classes our designed to move our bodies, to use our voice and think creatively, technology truly does get in the way of creating and listening to each other. As Theater Majors we truly understand that literally BEING PRESENT is so important. For a moment we can make ourselves believe that we don't need our phones and we can live in this bubble with our friends, our mentors and our art! It's truly liberating and feels great. But then class ends and our friends leave and our mentors are living their awesome lives. And we sit in our house, on our phone waiting for that connection, waiting for our friends to text and we snap our lives because we want all our friends to see how much fun we are having and sharing our experience.

So technology comes back in our life because Snapchatting the cute filters are way too much fun. And Instasnap literally has no point but who cares, we snap away or Facebook it. It feels like we are hanging out altogether online, it's perfect for when your friends are away or you want to capture an experience you don't want to forget.

In both real life and in Snaplife, we want an instant connection. If we don't feel involved, we won't bother. We are social beings, we love talking and we love being with others. So I say why not embrace both!

Theatre thrives off a live audience, right? We need an audience to sell tickets in order to make a profit.But how come our professors talk to us as if Theater is the ONLY place where they need an audience to sell tickets? CONCERTS AND SPORTING EVENTS are huge profit making industries! They literally seek and support said singer or athletic team and make KAGILLION dollars all the time.

And even more accurate to compare is FILM and Television. The Film industry and television shows by comparison are highly more profitable than Theater.

I have found this comparison ODD. Not that it wasn't obvious. But it is strange that Theater, the great white way, the original makers of live entertainment get outweighed by Film and Television, who let's be honest is just mere mimics of Theatre Arts. But these brilliant mimics have perfected their art in such a way that has made their art original and glamourous.

We all are Gasping to ALL OF Shonda Rhimes plot twist or FALLING IN LOVE with Maggot Robbie's Harley Quinn.*cough* *#women* *cough*

So what about Theater Characters? *Cricket* Only theaters majors and Theater people know about these characters. The most people know about Theater Characters are Hamlet, Macbeth...*cricket*...On top of my head I don't even remember. So how come we are learning about a profession we honestly don't talk about in our snaps obsessively.

Technology has a lot to do with it and on top of that it is a marketing that is setting us apart.

Theatre and Media seem like a pair of Frenemies. They are both going towards the same goal but secretly hate each other and are competing against each other. However like all good frenemies, one always seems to be winning. Guess who?

Let's face it, when a college puts on a production, most likely if students aren't properly funded and their set isn't looking all too #BROADWAY then students will not invite anyone to go see their shows, which is a TERRIBLE idea for both the student and the program.

First of all, you as the student need people to see the show...don't you want to be on broadway? People need to see YOU. Crappy set design or not, you are the point. SHOW CASE IT. Second, if you can't promote your schools program, no one will care about seeing you or funding it. No matter how talented you are a great promoted program will get their shine and improve on their program. So you are going to be stuck in an unfunded program with no one watching. WHAT IS THE POINT. D:

The thing NO ONE teaches us is marketing. We might have heard our professors say "Learn how to marketing yourself". But we don't know what that means. And that's not what are our classes entitle us to do. In fact most of our trainings are so rigorous and exhaustive that we literally don't have time. We train and train like we are going off to the Olympics and when we graduate. The school sends their best and hope that their program has helped you in a way to achieve success. Marketing isn't part of it because that isn't OUR problem.

But actually it is. IT IS THE WHOLE PROBLEM.

Marketing is a persuasive perception and that perception leads us into ideas and ideas can get money in the door and opportunities may open. Marketing for theater is the same as Obama's Comparison to Hillary Clinton getting young people's vote is your aunt poking you on Facebook!

LEGIT. "Come SEE MEEE!" "THIS IS MY CAST!" "THIS IS MY SCRIPT" "LOOK HOW MEANINGFUL EVERYTHING IS!!!"

*yawns* Who Cares?

We literally promote our show in a way that's unpleasant, bombarding and WAY too enthusiastic.

No one is going to understand why "This show is awesome" or "A MUST SEE!" With a few come see me statuses and a picture of the hot guy in the cast. What they will see is videos of passion and love and relatable themes that capture the audience attention that they will literally pay money to see that show.

The thing about selling a live event is that you can't sell that it is a live event. We see a baseball game on TV and it's already exciting, so people buy tickets. People listen to an album and still go see a concert. So why not in Theater?

We need to sell the story. We need to sell the experience. The experience is a lot more profitable than it being a live event. Overall how you market that experience is IMPORTANT. It's not about the meaningful message, most musicals try to play like they have a meaningful message but its doesn't. I doubt any writer is thinking "This is going to meaningful.", the best writers are just honest and creative. They use what they know and create the rest. So let's be honest, marketing these playwrights have not been favorable. No one knows them. It's either, no marketing at all, except word of mouth or " THIS IS THEATER AND THIS IS A MEANINGFUL PLAY!". There is no in between.

Theatre is not being marketed right at all. And the way BROADWAYCON looked it seemed it was only touching on the heart strings on THEATER FAN GIRLS who are most likely majoring in theater as well.

This won't be an overall fix. This will take time and lots of energy. But it's a perspective I started realizing after watching way too many videos on business. #Youtubeducation

However, Theater is my business and I realized the show business has a lot to learn. So I am learning.

Collegiate Theatre Connection is an organization reinventing the dialogue around theatre. It's mission is to shed light on New York City's Theatre College Programs and change the perspective on Artistic Careers.

Stay Woke, my friends!

Dayana Isabel Sanchez