Save Me Theater Kids

clownpiece 4/6/2024 11:51 pm 154

I am currently preparing to write an OC x Matthew Patel fanfiction, however I am in a pickle: I have very little familiarity with musical theater and the culture that surrounds both its audience base and its inner workings (cast, crew, directors, etc). This fic will take place within an AU of my OC universe, with the alteration being Matt and the rest of the SPTO cast (I've only seen SPTO, and tbh I don't plan on changing that since I only watched it for my pookie Matt and apparently that's the bulk of his appearances) happen to be there too. (Except the rest of the cast is only mentioned, no one actually makes an appearance)

In this AU, Matt still majored in theater, and is trying to climb his way up the theater world despite being continuously stuck in minor or ensemble roles. This is where the bulk of my questions come in: How would you describe the culture/social atmosphere of the musical theater world? Is there a hierarchy, and if so, what is it and how much does it influence said atmosphere? How are the minor/ensemble actors treated? What's it like preparing a play as an actor? What would you consider the routine to be? Is there anything else I missed? What are traits you commonly see in people who are involved in musical theater, as both the actors and the audience members, and 1. How does that effect the experience, and 2. How does the medium cater to said traits (For a lack of a better words...)

I'm an orchestra kid, and I personally get a bit irritated whenever I feel like the orchestra world is being mischaracterized/characterized inauthentically... Very irrational, I know, however theater kids are like our cousins, you know? Our weird, flamboyant, estranged cousins, but I still feel it's my duty to represent them the best I could, especially since the fic will have a focus on that specific part of his character. (Ex-classically trained musician that never got an education past highschool and is now bitter towards the arts X theater kid (ADULT) that never quite "made it" despite his education)

I know this would be one of the better places I have to ask, since I'm sure there's a crap ton of theater kids here. This would also be a good place to ask, what are some basic things I should know about the emo subculture? I decided I'm going to lean into the emo Matthew Patel trope, and it will take up some real estate in my fic too. (Protag thinks emos are cringe and dumb and YES this will be a point of contention between the two) Now, I'm not sure if this place would be the best to ask about the last detail, but I want to make sure I do a good job representing Matt's Indian heritage as well. His ethnicity and diaspora status isn't that important plotwise, however I still want to make him feel real, you know? One's cultural upbringing influences nearly every aspect of their life, so this is important for characterization. Is there anything I should keep in mind to avoid, anything to keep in mind? Some of his powers as shown in the anime seem to have influence from Hinduism, and I plan on giving his powers a minor appearance. I will most definitely do my homework on this last bit elsewhere, since there are definitely better places to be asking that question.

PLEASE only answer the questions you have proper qualifications to answer... ESPECIALLY the one about ethnicity. Anyways I'm very sorry for the long read, and thank you to anyone who reads it and answers! If you made it this far, throw a musical recommendation my way! Part of my homework is watching some musicals.....