The Hustle Hole

Being a theater artist in a crashing economy is not for the faint-hearted.

Yet again, I have taken an un-intentioned hiatus from this SubStack. Why?

It’s simple: I’ve been deep in the depths of a hustle hole.

Brynn, what the fuck is a “hustle hole”? I can hear you saying. In a crashing economy where the prices of everything are simply too much, rent is at least half your paycheck, and you find yourself wondering if you can afford to get an emotional-support-beverage today (seltzer water for me, the more the Co2 hurts me the better), there is one thing that is ever present: the dreaded “hustle”. And when you’re stuck hustling every month to keep the rent paid and the cabinets full, plus you’re trying to claw your way to name recognition in the theater world…you get stuck in the Hustle Hole.

I have four jobs. I work for an after-school program; a tutoring center; my Public Theater fellowship; and my freelance dramaturgy services. I also do gigs here and there for small theater companies, mostly reading stage directions for staged readings. None of this “working time” includes commute time, by the way. In total, including commute, I am spending over forty hours a week working. I know, I know, so many others work for longer…but did I mention on top of all this that I am disabled by multiple chronic pain issues which are practically a fifth job to manage? And that I’m also working on my plays multiple hours a week, as well as submissions for playwriting opportunities?

Needless to say, I am Hustling— as is every single theater artist out there in the world with no financial safety net.

There’s a reason the “starving artist” is a stereotype. Art isn’t nearly as valued as it should be, and therefore artists of all kinds are not paid enough for their talent and effort. I’m not saying anything new there. What I am saying is that now is a damn hard time to be an artist, at least financially, and at least here in the US. And yet, we continue to be artists— because it’s more than a career, it’s who we are. So…we fall down the Hustle Hole like Alice into Wonderland, because it’s the only way to survive and continue to strive for our goals, whatever they may be.

Needless to say, fuck late stage capitalism.

Those of you trying to climb out of the Hustle Hole with me: I get you. I will give you a hand up when I can. And when I can’t, a smile and a point to the next handhold. We don’t have to do it alone. Theater, after all, is a collaborative art form.

I want to aim for monthly posts now, as I think I have the time to commit to that. But I can’t guarantee what those posts will be. Will they be State of Play(wright)s? NPX Round-Ups? Live Show Reviews? Weird Ass Essays About Weird Ass Theater Shit? Probably a mix of them all! Hopefully whatever I manage to get out as I climb out of this Hustle Hole (which seems endless!) will be something you enjoy.

Happy theatre-making, everyone.

~Brynn