How many times have I heard that things are the way they are today because our practices changed during COVID, because of the then-need to distance ourselves or isolate ourselves?
For example, it used to be that auditions for actors for parts in plays were done in person. Today, there is almost no such thing as an in-person audition. Instead, actors are told to send the producer/casting director an audition video.
When I was told this, I was dumbfounded by this change because it not only robs the actor of the whole community experience of auditioning and practicing his craft before a live audience, but because it robs the the producer/director/casting director of the ability to see how the actor performs on stage. Performing on a video is something quite different for many reasons, one of which is that it can be done over and over again till the actor feels he is satisfied. On stage, both in performance and the audition, one gets one chance and it is what it is.
Looking into this recently, I discovered that while there was some movement towards this type of auditioning for reasons of efficiency and convenience prior to COVID, it was COVID that made this practice universal. And of course the rigors of COVID protection lasted for almost two years.
During that time, producers got so comfortable with the system and used to its efficiencies, that they didn't want to go back to the old system. Actors have no power or voice, so they just had to do as directed. Although there are some actors that favor the new system as well for reasons of convenience and efficiency.
It seems that today, for so many things, considerations of efficiency and convenience rule the day, regardless of their impact on quality. This point can be made, for example, about vast portions of the professional workforce working remotely. It is certainly convenient and efficient, but the employer looses the ability to interact with employees on a frequent and more casual basis, and employees loose the ability to feel and be part of the larger dynamic which is a company.
Some will say that zoom meetings take care of much of that, but I would beg to differ. I have been in many zoom meetings, both as an outside presenter and as a member of the group, and I have always been aware that I have not had the same interactive experience as I would have had had the session been in-person.
So to answer the question of why things have not returned to the practices which were in place pre-COVID and which almost everyone would agree were better from a quality perspective, the answer is efficiency and convenience. These considerations have always been present, but in today's technological environment, they have become more than buzz words; to technology, they are the holy grail.
