I was having coffee with a friend this morning who was talking to me about her newfound appreciation for Twitter. This conversation was in regards to discourse with performing companies with whom she wants to work.
My friend is getting her doctorate in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy while giving lessons, running a choir, and rehearsing the lead in Carmen (She is taking her musical life by the horns if you didn’t already guess!). She was telling me that she thinks of her web presence as a space where she can post relevant articles, milestones, and tweet and retweet companies she follows on “the interwebs.” She told me that significant opera companies follow her for liking and reposting their material, which helps them recognize her name when she goes in for auditions. She laughed at herself mostly saying that if she weren’t in “the business,” she wouldn’t be doing this, but that if she could do it, anyone could.
opera companies follow her for liking and reposting their material, which helps them recognize her name when she goes in for auditions
Even the most successful of theaters and performers are still on the cusp of cracking this whole media branding thing. It’s all about who your audience is, what your audience is interested in and posting about, all the up-to-date trends, and gaining visibility with great content. However, so much of this stuff is about posting at the exact, right time. That’s why consistency in posting is so valuable. You have a much better chance of being noticed if you’re posting more consistently. Your audience will see you more often on their feed and start to take notice.
However, my friend is doing something other than consistent posts in order to be followed by her potential employers; she is being an aggressive audience member to their brand. The opera company she follows posts article links about body alignment, special performances, and anything they find valuable for their audience. My friend takes the time to check out these articles, which she is interested in anyway, and retweets them with a comment about something she may have learned. In turn, her potential employers see this and follow her for her continued discourse with their media. Good job, friend!
be present in your understanding of yourself as an audience member
Being your own media boss is honestly a full-time gig, and it is so important to performers who want to be noticed. Whether you’re trying to become “Vine famous” or just interested in getting a follow from your favorite theater company, you have to be web present to be heard. Tag yourself like you mean it, and be present in your understanding of yourself as an audience member: Who do you follow? What do you like? What do you want people to see that you like that will help to further describe you as a performing tweeter?
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