Going from Fan to Friend (Is it possible?)
Dec 19 2017, 08:22:40 PM
gleek4114 said: "This is just something I thought about recently. Repeat attending is so common these days, and I know actors get to know those fans little by little after so many visits. So I was just curious to know if anyone has gone from a fan of someone to their friend in someway. Also I know all about the fan delusions that come along with this (the fan sees the relationship as something completely different than the performer). Also what are your thoughts on social media playing any role? I feel that social media can extend further communication between performers and their fans, but just because so and so followed you back doesn't mean anything. So yeah, just curious to hear different takes, weather it's just your opinion or if you're speaking from personal experience."
Every person is different, but I think it's certainly possible to develop friendships that first meet as a fan/performer interaction. As others have mentioned, it's probably the most likely among those who pursue a career in theatre and eventually become colleagues with their favorites. I think, among younger performers at least, it's also possible that they become "Internet friends" - not someone you'd invite over for the holidays, but someone whom you have nice conversations with beyond a liked tweet or something.
On the other hand, there's definitely fans who claim to be "friends" with performers but are more like stalkers, or who can't find the nuance between "friendly" and "friends."
At the risk of being self-promoting, I actually wrote a little bit about this fan-perfomer relationship, especially as it relates to understudies and to social media, in an article for BWW last week. If you care to see: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Exclusive-At-This-Performance-The-Rise-Of-The-Broadway-Understudy-20171215
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