Feature: WORLD'S PERFORMING ARTS Webinar Shares Performing, Health, and Marketing Tips from Global Artists

The free webinar was held on October 17th, 2020, at 3.30 PM GMT or 10.30 PM Western Indonesian Time. The panel consisted of five performing artists hailing from different parts of the world, sharing their insight and experiences gained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesian Yuliani Supandji served as the moderator.

The first speaker was James Megarry, director of the World's Performing Arts Group, with the topic "Live Streaming as a Solution During Lockdown".

James surmised that the current situation is not viable for the arts, with theaters in lockdown in many countries. He observed that people are experimenting in order to continue making, and showcasing, their art; some of these experiments are getting results, while others are not.

He then considered the current climate, the aforementioned experiments, and the cases of The Barbican and Applecart Arts (both of which held streamed artistic events with great turnout). James reached the conclusion that live streaming is a necessity.

Live streaming has tremendous marketing potential and reach; it can reach a wider audience, as there are no geographical borders to contend with. It can also be an extra source of revenue during these trying times.

"Bring a show to the audience if we can't bring an audience to the show," said James.

Further, he outlined that there are several options regarding live streaming:

1. Live stream entirely to the audience at home
2. Live stream combined with socially distanced audience
3. Live stream in addition to a full audience

However, there are still a few obstacles to live streaming as well, such as figuring the technical requirements, roles and jobs for the crew, and the lack of a dedicated distribution platform to facilitate the sharing of the resulting performances.

But the main obstacle, he proposed, is the lack of copyright arrangements allowing for a live streamed performance. The licensing contract for most plays and similar shows forbid taping of the licensed production, which would make live streams illegal (although, he added, it was understandable that the right holders require royalties even for streamed performances).

On a more hopeful note, James stated that a member of the Writers' Guild in the UK had said to him that "negotiations are ongoing and live streaming has been under discussion."

Yet, even if right holders would allow live streams of their works, he cautioned that there's a real risk of flooding the market, as the borderless reaches of the internet also meant worldwide competition. While national organizations should be able to hold their own, he suggested that local art organizations should seek to target their loyal fans first and foremost.

In conclusion, James said, live streaming can be the main source of revenue for the industry during these times of survival and recovery. However, realizing this potential also requires an industry-wide standard for live streaming (not on a case-by-case basis); live streaming clauses in every contract; as well as guides on live streaming capacity for every performance space.

The second speaker was Heriska Suthapa from Indonesia, known for his work with the theater community Jakarta Players (also serving as its incumbent President). Drawing from his personal experiences, he brought the subject "Performing Arts Experience During the Pandemic".

Jakarta Players, he said, strives to put on a show every year. However, this year there was no live performance to take place, due to the coronavirus situation. Yet the very same situation also provided opportunities for self-growth.

"I can't sit still. I took classes on directing and acting that I wouldn't have taken otherwise. I learned a lot during this small time, more than I learned in the last how many years."

"I've also done a few performances via Zoom or other video platforms. In May, I made a short, 20-minute film about actors rehearsing for a play. Then I made a 20-minute play with an actor living in the US. We had been meaning to do it for a long time, but we could never make the time work, until this year since everyone's online anyway."

"Currently I'm working on three different projects: a Zoom musical; a play, initially written to be performed in a restaurant about a couple who had a fight, but we're adapting it for Zoom; and a play with a first-time actress, also on Zoom."

"On the latest one, since she doesn't have any prior acting experience, she doesn't feel like she's ready to perform live on stage. But she can do it if it's on Zoom. Zoom can be good for new actors. Because we're recording it, if they are not happy with the result, they can do it again and again."

Other than easing in budding thespians, Heriska also expanded upon the advantages of taped performances. First, actors can work with other actors across the world. He mentioned that he's working with actors in Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia on the Zoom musical he's in.

Actors can also hold more frequent rehearsals because there's no need to commute, which, in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta, might take upwards of an hour. It follows that more rehearsals mean that directors and actors can further polish their work.

The time saved can also lend itself to more performances, as he himself had experienced, being involved in several times more productions than usual. Finally, recorded performances require lower cost for equipment and logistics compared to conventional on-stage productions.

However, Zoom performances come with their own set of limitations. First, actors can typically only get one frame on Zoom with their webcam set up, making it hard to get a variety of camera shots.

Secondly, if it's done through an internet connection, actors can expect a delay in reaction from their co-stars, due to the connection's inherent latency. Thus making it difficult to get snappy back-and-forths.

And finally, Heriska said:

"As someone who's done theater since 2007, no matter what, Zoom is not theater. You don't get that energy when the cast and crew are trying to make a beautiful performance. You don't get the energy from the audience.

You only get to see the view count which doesn't mean much. There's nothing like being on a stage, with the audience and every single person there. You don't get that."

Despite the drawbacks, Heriska added that Zoom is still a good alternative, for he can't not perform as an artist. Performance artists can still put food on the table and put their skills to use using mediums like Zoom.

Heriska hopes that artists can find new ideas that can work on Zoom that might not work on stage or anywhere else. On the flipside, he also hopes that platform makers would be aware of the need for platforms that can better capture performing art performances.

The third speaker hails from India: Sonia Swaroop Choksi, founder of performing arts talent acquisition platform Match My Talent. She had been working on Maitri Project, an initiative looking to connect local artists with the audience through digital shows, which also forms the basis of her talk, "Possible Collaboration between Countries".

After holding more than 50 shows featuring musicians from all across the country, the government took interest in the project, as the digital format allows for local artists to be promoted beyond the nation's borders.

Thus, Sonia assured that there's a potential for digital art performances to be noticed and, hopefully, supported by government bodies.

In order to improve our chance among the ocean of content available, she suggested that artists should make themselves available digitally in an organized manner. They should share updates about their latest productions, using show clips and videos if possible.

Furthermore, in case of a potential job or collaboration, artists should be prepared to come up with a quotation or invoice, she suggested. Thus artists should note the monetary cost of their production as the starting point.

The next speaker brought something wholly different to the table. Beatrice Bernstein's "Integrative Mind Body Wellbeing" opened with her asking for the speakers and attendees to close their eyes.

For the next ten minutes or so, she led everyone in a series of guided yoga-based meditative exercises. Indeed, the audience was assisted into connecting their energy and summoning love from within.

She then asked everyone present to form a healthier mindset in face of the pandemic. This could be a time for a mindful refueling, as the daily grind didn't allow us the time and space for our personal transformation to form a whole new depth.

The challenging emotions that come up need to be faced head on and not simply pushed away, Beatrice added, before sharing her own struggles with her injury years ago. Everyone can find a way to turn these downward emotions around into spiraling up, by practicing self-care to a level that allows us to come out of this situation with a new level of energy.

Another important thing to keep in mind, she posited, was not to minimize socioeconomic challenges. She asked the artists to remember that we are not letting anyone down or 'abandoning our art' by taking our time for self-care, including financially by taking other jobs to make ends meet.

Finally, Beatrice said:

"As a community, we can shift our dance world into a healthier and happier place than it was before. We can't let the challenges dim our lights."

The last speaker was Tomorr Kokona, London-based creative consultant, presenting the topic "How to Sell Your Creative Works for Artists".
To reach professional success, he proposed that artists should approach projects with three main tenets: alignment, understanding, and integrity.

Alignment means understanding whether or not a project is in line with our beliefs, interests, and capabilities. It also means ensuring that the value we can bring is equal to the value, monetary or otherwise, that our potential clients offer.

The second aspect is Understanding. Here it means understanding oneself as well as the audience. By understanding our purpose and the audience's, or customer's, characteristics, we can ensure that our work of art will be effective and meaningful. For example, by providing an art piece that fulfill their needs, answers their wants, and is relevant to their circumstances.

Finally, integrity is interpreted as building long-term reputation through consistent quality and character. Eventually, dedicated artists will be able to clients would gravitate towards them due to their good reputation; a "pulling" instead of "pushing" approach .

Tomorr also highlighted the importance of learning marketing, pitching, and selling for artists. More established artists should also look into mixing marketing materials and collaterals according to best practices. Ideally, artists will eventually become well-rounded creative entrepreneurs who can offer a wider range of creative offerings.

The webinar showcased a glimpse into the myriad ways artists around the world are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. And although they might not (and should not) be able to see each other in person, the sense of solidarity was real. To close, let's borrow the words of reinforcement that Beatrice declared during her session:

"I am brave, I am resilient."

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