Unhealthy Competition
Working, as I do, in Youth Theatre, I am often overwhelmed by the fuzzy warm feeling that you get from rewarding community based creativity. That being said, I have noticed a degree of less than fuzziness creeping in to the Industry. In fact I would go as far as to say it is in certain areas quite spikey. Drama and Dance competitions, are, by their very definition, competitive. They are increasingly however becoming a vehicle for nastiness and bile. Instead of congratulating the winners with a good heart, I have increasingly experienced gloating. What are the adults in charge thinking when they allow, or in some cases actually instigate and encourage such behaviour? Then there is the other kind of competition. The business side of competition. We all do things differently. That’s the Arts. I hear stories from other Drama Groups of ideas, procedures and behaviours that I would never allow in my rehearsal room, but that’s not a criticism. It’s just difference. Social Media can make this worse, with Twitter being alight with joyous celebration after an excellent performance. Why not just leave it at that and not stoop to say “We are SOOoo much better than…<insert competitor here> “? I have even experienced a similar youth group to mine adding me on Twitter, and then proceeding to spam the Children from my group to advertise their group. Healthy competition is one thing, but that is just plain wrong on several levels. I have even witnessed an “Adult” referring to a youth group drama festival entry as “Awful” on a public forum. I will readily admit, that some youth drama can appear awful to the untrained eye. Some adults sitting in judgement in the audience will not know the stories behind some of the kids performing, will not know the huge barriers they have overcome to get to the stage. Competitive is one thing, but this is the creative arts, not the terraces at a seventies football ground. Be bitter and vindictive if you like, but it would serve you well to do so behind closed doors. To do otherwise is at the very least a disservice to children, at worst it is a crime in my eyes.
