HowlRound: We’ve all been there. If not about moving from the Midwest to NYC, then we’ve struggled about moving from Waukegan to Chicago, or Tucson to Los Angeles, or Saxapahaw to Raleigh. The lure of the Big City—Bright lights! Fame! Glory! Artisanal cupcakes! —Will sooner or later make us question the worth of our piddling little small-town lives. Some of us will resist that temptation, others will dip our toes in “just so that we can say we did,” and still others will dive head-first and never look back. Many before me, from EB White to Jay-Z to PrettyLady, have opined on the psychology (or psychosis) of choosing New York. I’ll keep my response focused on the questions you raise from the perspective of a mid-career theater artist who has started to build a professional presence in the city.
7 comments:
This is something that I've come up against hundreds of times in the last few years: the assumption that because I do theatre, my dream is to end up in NYC. Don't get me wrong... I love the city. I practically grew up there. But as this article points out, there are huge positives, but also huge negatives, to living in NY, and it's not for everyone.
The prevailing attitude that everyone who's anyone in the theatre scene lives and works in NY isn't entirely true. You can find immensely talented people in regional theatre across the country, some of whom never work in NY. However, there are a LOT of people who work in regional theatre who also are proud of their NY appearances and highlight them. It's a sad truth, I think: that NY has become the name you want to have on your resume in theatre, no matter where you want to go. That doesn't mean that it's a valid or right requirement, but it is what it is. When you do theatre, most people assume you want to work in NY and will sometimes question why you don't. It's the same in film: you want to do film, you should move to LA. Maybe not necessarily 100% true, but it's the prevailing attitude for a reason.
So before I actually go and give commentary about the decision to move to the big city, I would like to point out one major issue with the authors article. If the point was to show some inner turmoil about moving from a small town into to the big city, the author really needs to do their research next time because no one in their right mind would turn down leaving Waukegan. Waukegan is the lovely slum of a town next to my home town ( Gurnee IL), home to violence, rape, drugs, and gang problems. People don't "want" to be in Waukegan , they just end up there. (I mean really, who wants to send their kid to a school were girls sharpen their nails into points so they can claw up each others faces later and boys make shanks out of ping pong paddles so they can sneak them past the high school's metal detector?) If you've got the chance to move to the city, I can guarantee you, you'll take it (unless you're a gang-banger, in which case I doubt this article pertains to you).
That rant aside, this article really does bring up the practical problems of moving to the big city and the fears that we all face. Thees a lot to worry about job wise especially in such a competitive field. but fears and apprehensions aside, if theater is what you really love then there is no reason not to go out and do it. If it means enough to you, you'll find a way to make it work.
I feel like this article has a little bit of a bias against moving to New York. Yes, the author describes one of the benefits being the limitless supply of resources and people in similar situations, but it seems the moral of that paragraph is "Don't worry--other people are just as desperate, poor, and unsuccessful as you, and will be willing to work with you because they have nothing better to do." Moving to New York is a big change, especially for somebody from a smaller town, but the bottom line (for me, at least) is that that is where the industry is centered, where the work most central to the country occurs, and where you're most likely to get connected to work in other cities. No, I don't think you're required to live and work in NYC in order to be a successful artist. If you've found work elsewhere, congrats. I'm not seduced/brainwashed by the New York theatre lifestyle. For me, it's just a fact of the business.
isn't this a question that every artist asks themselves multiple times a year, a month, a day? I know I do and im not even half way through my college career. To be honest, I don't think I'll know for sure until my senior year. The faact is that NYC may not be the best place for everyone. Just because you want to be a successful artist doesnt mean you have to be successul there. And the authro is right, it all depends on what kind of a person you are and how much you can take. It will be hard, you probably will be hungry at some point (if you're doin it right, but in the end, your happiness with your art is what will make you decide to stay or not. This isn't a question anyone but you can answer. So, take a breather, and you'll know soon enough.
Moving to New York is definitely a big decision. I think the author makes a lot of valid points even if they are ones we don't especially want to hear. We know it is going to be hard to live in NY. We know we will have struggles as many others before us have had, but going to NY is a dream that some of us have to follow. Like the article said, it may not be for very long, or it may be forever, but to have the experience itself is what we want. I know living there won't be for everyone, but how will we know if we don't try? Life is just experience after experience until we find the one we like best. I am open to whatever comes my way. I don't have to be in NY to feel successful. I want to be in NY to feel the aura of the world I love. I will feel successful simply because I am working at my craft in any capacity. As many others, I may have to have another job to make ends meet, but that's part of the whole journey. I will make the best of it and I'm sure be a better and stronger person for the struggles I will face. I say "Bring it on"!
I've never been to New York City. When I was applying to school, I made a conscious decision not to apply anywhere in New York. I knew I wasn't ready for it - I wanted a smaller campus located in a manageable city.
When I think about the future (which I try to avoid doing in an concrete terms because those tend to inspire minor artistic existential crises) I picture myself in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and back home in Oregon enjoying the plentiful farmers markets and organic coffee while I to work for OSF. However, the possibility of New York still looms on the horizon.
I don't believe that New York City is everything. I've seen some really fantastic theatre in the aforementioned cities, and I'm sure they're not alone. I grow tired of the "New York City theatre lifestyle" that Alex mentioned above.
That being said, there's clearly something special about New York, otherwise so many people wouldn't flock there.
What does all this mean? I don't know. If I end up there, great. If I don't, that's okay too.
I definitely agree that there are huge pros and cons when it comes to moving to NYC. I find it sort of bothersome that New York is supposedly the place that all of us have to end up to be successful. To be perfectly honest, If that's the case then I'm going to have to deal with just being "moderate" because NYC scares me to death. Of course, I know that its possible to be successful anywhere, but I do agree that New York is the place everyone wants to say that they have worked. I think this article made a good point though. Living in NYC doesn't mean working in NYC. it means living. It means having friends and having a favorite book shop. It means loving the quirkiness of the neighborhood and knowing which restaurants are infested with cockroaches. If a person doesn't want to actually LIVE in New York then they should just move to New Jersey and pretend they live in the city. It seems to me that "BCB" isn't taking the living part into account and if I were "Holler" I wouldn't encourage them to go because it doesn't sound like they actually want to be there.
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