With A Little Help From My Friends
/I often say that I know some of the best people, and I think that’s true.
Some of the most wonderful, giving, caring, and delightful people I’ve ever met can be found amongst my friends, colleagues, students, peers, and family.
Now, I’m a bit of a go-getter personality who is often most productive alone. (Surprised, anyone?) And I’m sure many of you out there feel similarly, even if just when applied to work.
But this quarantine has shifted that mentality. And not just for me, but across the globe.
I think people are realizing that sure, lots of work can be done remotely, but it’s nothing like being together with other people working toward a common goal. And people are craving that feeling more than ever.
We may not be able to make that happen in person quite yet, but it’s brought people together in some other beautiful ways. And what’s being put out into the world is good.
Placeholder Content
I keep hearing the question:
“Is all this online stuff going to take over? Will we never get back into a real space together again?”
And I think this is a silly question.
Of course we will. We are dying to. Some people - unfortunately, due to misinformation and poor leadership - are literally dying in their attempts to. (Stay home please!)
Online content and online solutions are great in a pinch, with or without a pandemic. But nothing will ever compete with the feelings of being in the same room together.
So, what do we do in the meantime?
We create placeholder content. (“What is that? - the internet void echoes back.”) Good question, void.
Placeholder content is any creative or business-related content being generated online right now as a temporary replacement for the work that would normally be done in person.
And it has many uses.
It allows us to keep working - It may not be at full capacity, but it’s something to keep us creating, doing business, reaching out, and - well - not going insane.
It says “I’m still here” - Whether it’s a teacher showing up on Zoom to remind their students that they are still cared for, or a theater showing snippets of creative content for their audiences, it’s important to remind people that distance has not erased us. We are still here.
It allows for creative solutions - This period of time has forced everyone to come up with creative solutions to problems, many of which were problems that existed before the pandemic. Honestly, I think there will be some positive structural changes for many businesses that will come from what we learned in lockdown.
It’s a bandaid - No, it’s not going to put us back in a room together and heal us, but it allows us to reach out to other people and to share past and present work. And that’s still quite valuable. How often do we rewatch things from the past that we’ll never truly experience again (home videos, movies, concerts, shows, TV series, etc.), just to feel connected?? It lessens the hurt.
It lets the helpers help - A little reminder that there are people and institutions in need is all it takes to open the door for someone who wants to help. And boy, this quarantine has shown just how many people out there really do want to help.
And the best kind of placeholder content?
The kind that brings people together in order to make it happen. Collaboration is queen, even at a distance.
Gotta Start Somewhere
One of my favorite places in the world, which is how I met some of my favorite people in the world, is a theater. Bristol Valley Theater, to be precise.
I don’t know if you’ve heard (LOL), but theaters everywhere are in trouble. The pandemic hit everyone hard, but gathering spaces like theaters are going to take the longest to recover, if they’re able to recover at all.
So, I wanted to help.
Some way, any way. Even if it were small, I wanted to offer what I could for my theatrical home. But how and where to start?
I wrote to the Artistic Director of BVT about four weeks ago with an idea that seemed like it could prove useful:
I’ve got a great video of last summer’s BVT premiere production of The King’s Legacy…could we stream it? For free? And as a fundraiser for the theater???
Would we be able to gather all the necessary permissions from the artists involved? That’s a lot of people to ask between the performers, creative team, and production team. And would I be able to learn the necessary technological side of the logistics? Will everyone involved respond positively to this?
Turns out that the answer to all of this was a resounding, “YES!”
I really do love theater people.
And so, friends, as the first iteration of placeholder content I’m involved with for theater, last summer’s world premiere of The King’s Legacy will be streamed on Saturday, May 16th at 7:00pm (EST)!
The link below will take you to the YouTube premiere page, where you can set a reminder for yourself! The video will be available for a month following the livestream premiere, but the chat will only be available when it goes live on the 16th.
Click Here for the Stream Page!
And although we won’t be in the same room together, we will all be able to watch together and chat together and (hopefully) give together, which is still something good.
I Get By…
We do. We get by. And perhaps that’s the best we can do right now.
But please, take solace in knowing that whatever you are able to do right now - even when it feels like it isn’t enough or making a big enough impact - it’s helping someone and it’s worth it.
I do hope you’ll join us for the stream of The King’s Legacy on the 16th, and then again for whatever content is to follow!
And in the meantime, stay well, stay healthy, stay home. Cheers!
