The Creator Economy: How To Generate Income For Theatre Artists
By: Thomas Gage
Tags: Content Marketing, Creator Economy, Theater, Theatre

Not many go into theatre because they think it’s going to make them financially wealthy.

If you do, maybe we should sit down for a chat.

But the reality of the world, dear dreamers, is that we have to make an income somehow.

And those of us who bravely think, “I’ll just live on the fumes of my art!” are — with the exception of a few crazy souls — usually the first to succumb to burnout.

The others, they’re the ones who find themselves a day job. Usually, the more stable that day job is, the less flexibility it has to allow them to pursue their craft.

So most theatre artists are left at some point in their career (usually the beginning) with that terribly unfair choice: do I pursue my craft or do I eat?

Of course there are many theatre artists who find a way somewhere in between those two extremes.

Still, the general rule is: there ain’t much money in theatre.

A new solution: the era of the creator economy

But making an income in theatre doesn’t have to be in theatre.

A lot of theatre artists think very surface-level about how they can monetize their craft. Outside of actually doing our craft, we think that maybe we can teach or coach or do birthday parties…

And that’s kind of it.

But the reality is there’s an entire world out there that is looking for exactly what it is you can bring to them.

And you can reach that world, generate an income you can live off of while pursuing your craft, by being a creator.

What is the creator economy?

The creator economy refers to the community of content creators who are able to generate and grow income from the content they produce on various digital platforms.

That income could come from:

Digital products

Courses

Services

Sponsorships

Patronage

Subscriptions

Tip Jars

The idea is that you’re a self-employed creator using the digital ecosystem to build an audience and generate income through your skills, experience, expertise or knowledge.

Benefits of the creator economy

Whenever I talk about the creator economy, or building your personal brand, a lot of theatre artists give me the side and have legitimate questions:

Why?

What’s the point?

Will this help me get more auditions/book more roles/[insert desired goal here]?

Why should I hustle for something else that’s not what I’m passionate about?

I already have so much on my plate! Why are you giving me something else I need to do?

I don’t want to be the next Logan Paul.

Which is totally fair.

And the answer is a resounding yes: that is the goal — to book you more roles, get you in front of more decision-makers, get your name out there.

This is not about spinning your wheels on some useless endeavour.

What this is really about is empowering you to generate income from your craft (or from whatever it is that you want to be generating income doing) so theatre artists are no longer stuck being waiters or bartenders* who sometimes do theatre.

Being a creator allows you to generate income by doing what it is you want to do.

(*If you like being a waiter or bartender, there’s nothing wrong with that. We’re just expanding the possibilities.)

Understanding the creator economy

The ecosystem of the creator economy is quite vast. It includes things like:

Social media influencers (and micro-influencers)

YouTube channels

Podcasters

Course creators

Physical product makers

And so much more!

Today, there are literally tens of thousands of creators making a living for themselves by creating online.

From the skits on TikTok to the cross-channel storytelling required to bring your audience from social media onto your email list — this is our house.

And it kills me that so few of them are theatre artists.

Because the reality is, most of the skills creators need to make a living online? They’re ours.

From the skits on TikTok to the cross channel storytelling required to bring your audience from social media onto your email list — this is our house.

Theatre artists should own the creator economy.

Opportunities for theatre artists in the creator economy

Okay, maybe you need some examples to get your wheels spinning…

Read more about the opportunities for theatre artists in the creator economy.