Importance of digital skills to South African opera artists to improve their employability

Abstract

AbstractBefore the COVID-19 pandemic, digital skills were becoming important for opera artists as technology continues transforming the performing arts industry worldwide. Digital performance in the opera industry emerged as a global phenomenon negatively affecting opera artists’ employability. Like opera artists from other emerging countries, South African opera artists are experiencing high unemployment due to changing industry skills. In the South African opera industry, the pandemic has fast-tracked the demand for digital skills for opera artists to produce work and reach global audiences. The absence of digital skills for opera artists in the performing arts industry has become a great concern. Framed within digital performance, this article discusses the importance of digital skills to South African opera artists to improve their employability. This article used a qualitative research approach to review scholarly writings and to undertake interviews with selected opera companies and opera artists. The findings confirm that South African opera artists’ lack of digital skills contributes to their increasing unemployment. This article finds that the swift advancement of technology creates a growing demand for digital performances, and thus digital skills are crucial for opera artists. This article concludes by affirming that acquiring digital skills can enable opera artists to adapt to the changing industry and expand their career opportunities.

Keywords

• pandemic
• digital performance
• digital skills
• employability
• opera artists