Is it wrong to leave the stage to the backstage to find peace? Apparently, yes if you are a male and part of Gen Z. In the decade of our Lord 2020s, that is the state of affairs. In this age, even good old reliable Shakespeare is beginning to feel dated. On God. At least, this following statement of his is. "All the world's a stage," said the playwright, "And all the men and women are merely players; They have their exits and their entrances." True but my answer skewers to the audience. Who is the audience that every man and woman is performing for/acting for? Twenty years ago, even ten years ago, the answer would have been square, four fold, regular. Society, the inner self, the divine or even nothing were reasonable, even expected answers. Four answers. A, B, C and D. The standard. Except, now they is a new standard. An E has been added to the options and the E is part of ****** *****. That is the new audience and unlike the old, this one watches all the time and gives nonstop feedback irrespective of the actor's wishes. This audience, which I unironically call the "figure with a billion faces and even more hands" never lets you simply act without feedback. Applause or jeers, throwing compliments that drown you in euphoric love or throwing you tomato red insults that hit with the weight of a missile, the audience is always commenting. Always 'encouraging' the actor to improve here, tweak their performance there or receive its undivided mockery which does gargantuan damage to a actor/performer, so much so that they might 'fall off the stage'. I almost fell off the stage. Thus, I, a Gen Z man smelling of tomatoes, left —no— fled the stage for the backstage to find my peace.
Have I found my peace? Yes I have and I intend to keep it. But that would mean never going on stage and 'performing my role'. So, what do I do then if I am not on stage which, apparently, we all should be?
Behind-the-scenes content is what. I craft my own material, write my own jokes laughing at the actors and laugh by myself, then call it a day.
Want to laugh with me? Then stick around and you just might. No promises :)