Raina Greifer

WHAT WORKED 

I believe the use of a social media platform as a stage to perform was really innovative and worked well.  I think I personally was a strong leader within the group and had a good handle at organising what exactly had to be done in order to achieve a final performance.  I created a lot of the foundational outlines and skeletons for the script of events and the logistics of what we need to create on Instagram.  I think I was good at narrowing down the goal of our production and making it logistically possible.  However, I struggled to be assertive when it came to delegating roles.  Especially since the pandemic has meant everyone's workload and significantly changed and stress is high I was always hesitant to ask people to do something.  As a result, it felt like we frequently had to regroup to make sure everyone was doing what was needed and that we were all on the same page.  Things like the first script, the calendar and all the O.Z. Instagram pages/site pages were made by me.

WHAT DID NOT WORK

I think we as a group struggled to create a piece that created nuanced perspectives to the questions we were asking. The characters are humorous and pretty clear caricatures.  However, I think we relied a lot on our own experience of Instagram which is a good image of the mainstream experience.  If we had done a trial run, taken notes on what we found and then created the official performance I think we would have found a lot of quirks from Instagram culture to use.  For example, the idea of using an animated avatar as the character is so smart when talking about issues with authenticity online and I’m disappointed we weren’t able to explore that.  I think the reason our group struggled with this is due in part to the constricted time in which we had to create the piece.  By the time we nailed down the form and basic plot we had about a month to create the entire piece.  I’m glad we took the time to really solidify what we wanted to make and experimented with a lot of different concepts, but I believe the piece would have improved significantly if we had been able to develop it over the course of several months.  Ultimately, I think we created a really strong first draft of a performance.  It was an interesting experimental piece that was successful in both asking established questions and creating new questions as the performance went on.  However, it was clear that there was a lot more room for it to grow in the future.

WHAT I LEARNED

I think the most important thing I learned throughout the creation of this piece was how to adapt live performance into a different form and work with limited materials.  This is particularly relevant and useful for future endeavours because (1) the pandemic has ensured the closure of theatres and theatre companies for an extended period of time, I will likely be graduating into a field that is really hurting for funding and spaces to produce safely.  (2) Working as an emerging artist means working with few to none materials.  Being able to adapt and recreate based off those circumstances is a necessary skill.  Although if we were still able to produce live work at university we would still be operating with limited resources, this question of how do you occupy space as a theatre maker is more pertinent now than ever.  Not only are traditional theatre spaces incredibly expensive, but all of them are currently shut with little idea of when it is safe to reopen.  This means theatre makers really have to consider how they can occupy spaces not traditionally used for theatre performances in order to continue their craft.  Our piece inherently addresses this by occupying a space not intended for theatre.  Experimenting and pushing the boundaries with form is something I find very exciting and will definitely take with me in my career.  

Our most crucial rehearsal that drove most of our creative decisions was where we decided to use Instagram and Instagram photos to structure our performance.  This decision was made and followed by us creating an online performance proposal outline linked below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s75uIdWcXtX-IlkVPDs3Ws_O8JH6s-OHKDM6STnNrIg/edit?usp=sharing

Much of our rehearsal process was independent in creating content and then regrouping to discuss and review the work we had done.  The workload was roughly divided by 4 different aspects of the show we had to complete. (1) Creating a collection of photos our characters would post before and throughout the piece, (2) A detailed script of what would happen and when, (3) The @o.z.brand instagram account and website and (4) DM conversations that would move the plot along.  Our process was documented through notes taken at every meeting and draft versions of our work. Examples are linked below:

Content drafts:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AtAdLqma_A6iDuKBTysnoI8uKuAkJnrn-ydKZCq5Rb4/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fCfsJaT1r-zG4TZqUItHNty3xT11l7OXR0sv15b7L8U/edit?usp=sharing

Meeting notes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mUzWmfvKBbJF41Ofr2JhQY8_4Ia0Wwy2DmK-edxbBmM/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mUzWmfvKBbJF41Ofr2JhQY8_4Ia0Wwy2DmK-edxbBmM/edit?usp=sharing

I think our biggest moments of difficulty related to making sure everyone was clear about what was going on.  We found meeting and communicating over video calls fairly difficult.  We are all in different time zones which meant we had small windows of time when it was convenient to meet, and experienced rough internet connections that made it difficult to hear and understand what people were saying.  Because of this, we relied on using shared documents through google drive to provide notes and feedback to each other, and used video to talk out things that had yet to be decided.  Another point of difficulty was managing the logistics of such a tech heavy show.  There are so many moving parts to get in order that it was really important to anticipate problems and stay organised.  Our extensive collection of notes and google docs came in handy.  The actual production faced very few roadblocks and I believe that is because of how detailed and organised our final script was. 

Evidence of our research is demonstrated in some of our book notes documents linked below, as well as mention of articles or tools to investigate in the draft timeline of events.  I also believe that our final product demonstrates significant research as we specifically recreate real life events and paid promotions that have been criticised (for example, our research led us to find the FitTea promotion from influencers that inspired the products @kevinoftheforest promotes).  Below is also a full bibliography of the sources we used to inspire the show.  

Book notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJwKJA-4WMdFHhs3ZbrBad6rK9CSMWqdRyOuE2RhEKg/edit?usp=sharing

BIBLIOGRAPHY (**proper indented formatting was not compatible with tumblr formatting**): 

@such_tweets (2010) Such Tweet Sorrow Archive. Available at: http://www.bleysmaynard.net/suchtweet/ (accessed: 29 May 2020)

Baum, L. F. (1900) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago: George M. Hill Company.

Bearne, S. (2019) ‘Reality check: life behind Insta-glam image of ‘influencers’, The Guardian, Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/mar/17/instagram-social-media-influencers-reality (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Chen, T. and McNeal, S. (2020) ‘The J.Crew Bankruptcy Has Exposed A Hard Truth About The Influencer Economy’, Buzzfeed, Available at: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tanyachen/the-jcrew-bankruptcy-has-exposed-a-hard-truth-about-the (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Fastenau, J. (2018) ‘Under the Influence: The Power of Social Media Influencers’, Medium, Available at: https://medium.com/crobox/under-the-influence-the-power-of-social-media-influencers-5192571083c3 (accessed: 29 May 2020)

Harris, M. (2018) ‘These Super-talented Illustrators are Exploring our Obsession with Social Media’, Digital Arts, Available at:

https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/illustration/these-super-talented-illustrators-are-exploring-our-obsession-with-social-media/#2 (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Hausman, A. (2019) ‘THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER’, Marketing Insider Group, Available at:

https://marketinginsidergroup.com/influencer-marketing/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-social-media-influencer/ (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Ingrid Goes West (2017) Directed by M. Spicer. [Feature film]. New York City: Neon.

Imgrund, M. (2018)  ‘Why I Hate Influencer Culture’, Eco Warrior Princess, Available at: https://ecowarriorprincess.net/2018/06/why-i-hate-influencer-culture/ (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Krishna, R. and Cho, K. (2018) ‘A Blogger Has Been Exposed For Stealing Photos For Her Popular Instagram Account’, Buzzfeed, Available at: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/krishrach/instagram-influencer-sadelle-yeung-photos (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Molly Soda (2011) Tween Dreams. 4 February.  Available at: https://vimeo.com/19566930 (accessed: 29 May 2020)

Olson, M. (no date) Marisa Olson.  Available at: http://marisaolson.com/ (accessed: 29 May 2020)

Plaugic, L. (2018) ‘PopSugar allegedly stole ‘millions’ of Instagram influencer photos — and made money with them’, The Verge, Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/19/17252196/popsugar-instagram-stolen-affiliate-links-photos-rewardstyle-shopstyle-response (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Puhak, J. (2018) ‘Instagram influencer slammed for 'fake traveling' photos’, Fox News, Available at: https://www.foxnews.com/travel/instagram-star-slammed-for-fake-traveling-photos (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Read, B. (2020) ‘Is This the Most Bizarre Influencer Scam Yet?’, The Cut, Available at: https://www.thecut.com/2020/01/paul-zimmer-or-troy-becker-is-the-craziest-influencer-scam.html (accessed: 29 May 2020)

Skelton, E. (2019) ‘Thomas’ exhibit examines ego in social media’, University Press, Available at: https://www.lamar.edu/university-press/2019/10/thomas-exhibit-examines-ego-in-social-media.php (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Soto, A. (no date) Molly Soda. Available at: https://mollysoda.exposed/ (accessed: 29 May 2020)

TFL (2018) ‘The Questionable Marketing of Instagram-Promoted “Weight Loss” Products’, The Fashion Law, Available at: https://www.thefashionlaw.com/the-questionable-marketing-of-the-instagram-promoted-weight-loss-teas/ (accessed: 28 May 2020)

Tsapovsky, F. (2020) ‘Could the Coronavirus Kill Influencer Culture?’, Wired, Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-covid-19-influencers/ (accessed: 29 May 2020)

THE PERFORMANCE

@O.Z. is an online interactive performance that spans 5 days over instagram.  It features a total of five instagram accounts, four of which are the accounts of upcoming instagram influencers and one is the account for a brand offering them the opportunity to become a brand ambassador.  The piece explores authenticity within online personas asking what are the implications of making your personality a commodity.  My group was aiming to do a piece that acted as a caricature of the culture we see on instagram.  Instagram seemed like the most appropriate platform because it is very visual and also has a very strong culture focused around follower count and brand deals.  We wanted the piece to pick up the humor from the intense personalities often found on instagram, but also offer criticism of the influencer industry.  Specifically looking at past scandals in which famous influencers have done advertisements and brand deals for problematic and sometimes dangerous products- such as the diet tea ‘FitTea’ (TFL, 2018), we recreated problematic brand deals and the narcissistic obsession that leads to accepting such a brand deal.

THE PLATFORM

The use of instagram as our performance platform was the most key dramaturgical decision made.  It was based on (1) the fact that all performances had to be created and done online and (2) instagram is incredibly relevant to ideas about authenticity and identity.  Especially during the pandemic when much of our lives are happening online and through social media, using a media platform as a performance platform seemed appropriate.  Influencers are arguably performing their lifestyles and identities in order to be profitable and appealing to followers, we thought it made a lot of sense to recreate that.  Furthermore, the pandemic has brought about new questions about why influencers are so popular and profitable, as major sources of their content (travel content and collaborations with other influencers) have disappeared.  One scandal included an influencer who did branding work for J.Crew cancelled her upcoming unboxing videos for them as the store went bankrupt and could no longer pay her (Chen and McNeal, 2020).  Although this seems reasonable the admission that she was doing these videos for profit removed this curtain of authenticity that followers look for.  These questions of authenticity are becoming more and more pertinent and have specifically been shaped by the culture of instagram.

RESEARCH

Prior to the pandemic our piece was initially using The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum in 1900 and an online article exploring recovery from mental illness.  However, this changed significantly as we moved online.  We used minimal elements from The Wizard of Oz, however our theme of authenticity is still very relevant to key ideas in the book, particularly in relation to the Wizard. The character of @o.z.brand is meant to stand in for the Wizard as this elusive figure that promises the characters desires.  

In researching we each read the book, as well as watched the film from 1939.  We initially did some research into what The Wizard of Oz can potentially say about mental illness.  However, as our ideas for our piece changed that became less relevant.    

The bulk of our research ended up being related to real life influencer scandals and how real influencers work.  From this we were able to find inspiration for our scandals that we created and basic content for our feed.  All of my photos were edited based on how real life influencers edit their photos and using the same programs.  For example, throughout my feed my character has clearly stolen landscape photos from google searches and other accounts (visible as watermarks are left on posts).  Both brands and individual bloggers have been criticized for doing this (Krishna and Cho, 2018; Paugic, 2018).  I’ve also built up a collection of posts in which I edited myself into paris and claimed I was travelling there based off Johanna Olsson who was criticized for doing the same thing (Puhak, 2018).  

According to the book Flourishing the most effective positive to negative balance in ones life is 5:1.  5 positive experiences to 1 negative.  I understand this as, the ideal context in ones life to reaching their peak self is when the positive parts of their life heavily outweigh the bad ones.  This breaks it down into very technical terms, something I don’t necessarily agree with.  The reality is, I’m not going to be able to comprehensibly dictate “this experience is negative, have I had 5 positive experiences?”.  My negative and positive aren’t simply black and white, within the negative often times a positive emerges, and within the positive there are moments of negatives.  These experiences could be broken down millions of times and I would never be able to truly know what my positive to negative ratio is.  I think the topics mentioned in chapter 1, connectivity, autonomy, etc. served as much clearer focuses in ones life to give some guidance in terms of flourishing.

Within an ensemble it’s incredibly important to make sure everyone feels like they are a valued and useful part of the group.  Allowing for all to have their fair share of positive experiences, but also some moments of challenge.  This allows for group understanding, building empathy but also connectivity. 

House of Games explores how facilitators can run community ensembles and theatre groups to allow active participation and explore the community as a source to derive theatre pieces.  Through examples and detailed descriptions of his own past experiences Chris Johnston helps aspiring facilitators gain an in depth understanding of how to foster a well oiled ensemble.  

Something I loved about the book was not only the descriptions, but detailed examples of how exercises have been used in the past.  Johnston's experience working with those incarcerated was incredibly interesting and grew my own curiosity of how placing theatre (something very freeing) in a space meant to limit freedoms affects the art form.