Jennifer Gonzalez: Strength in Community.
Skene Staff
Lighting designer Jennifer Gonzalez transforms story into emotion through light, celebrating culture, community, and underrepresented voices.
Lighting designer Jennifer Gonzalez transforms story into emotion through light, celebrating culture, community, and underrepresented voices.
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by @josafathr
When I first imagined Skene, I knew it couldn’t be just another magazine with a digital presence—it had to live inside social media. These days, most of the performance work we see shows up in reels, stories, and posts before it convinces us to buy a ticket. If Skene was going to reflect the current pulse of performance artists around the world, it had to exist where the conversation was already happening.
But knowing that and actually doing it are totally different things.
I didn’t know much about content strategy when I started. All I knew was that I wanted to build something that mattered to artists—without having to dance on TikTok for it. So I asked myself: What does it really mean to communicate through social media? How do you connect with audiences in a space that moves so fast?
Like any good theatre designer, I started with research. I reached out to content managers and social media creators who were running succesful accounts. I binge-watched smart content. I tested. Failed. Tweaked. Learned. And little by little, I started to see that having a presence online isn’t enough. You have to speak the language.
Now, after months of building Skene’s presence online and learning everything I could along the way, I’ve pulled together five simple tips I believe every theatre or arts organization—especially small, and under-resourced ones—can benefit from. These aren’t about chasing trends or going viral. They’re about creating connection.
One of the biggest game-changers for me was learning to work with content pillars—simple, recurring themes that give your posts structure and your feed a sense of rhythm. Instead of starting from scratch every time, you’re choosing from a few clear “buckets” that align with your values and voice. For Skene, that might mean artist spotlights, behind-the-scenes process, collaborations, production moments, or educational tools. Yours might look totally different. The point is: having a handful of go-to categories makes planning content way easier.
But it’s not just a workflow hack—it also helps your audience. People engage more when they know what to expect. If you regularly share rehearsal footage, designer chats, or notes from the dramaturg, your followers will start to look forward to it. Over time, those patterns build trust. They make your feed feel alive and intentional—not random.
Your pillars should come straight from your mission. If your work centers local voices, then let your posts reflect your community. If you’re reimagining classics, take people inside that process. Social media gets easier when you stop asking what should we post today? and start asking what are we trying to say?
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to post constantly to stay relevant. I’ve definitely felt that pressure—especially with so many social media “experts” out there pushing the idea that you need to post every single day (or more). But what I’ve learned is that sustainable growth comes from consistency, not quantity.
For most theatre companies—especially the small and scrappy ones—it’s much more realistic (and more effective) to aim for three to five solid posts a week. That’s enough to stay visible without overwhelming your team or burning out by week three. Consistency builds habits. If your audience knows you drop rehearsal content on Tuesdays and cast interviews on Fridays, they’ll start to look for it.
And don’t underestimate the lifespan of a single post. A TikTok might take off days after it’s posted. An Instagram Story only lasts 24 hours, but saving it to Highlights gives it a second life. Facebook events and posts can linger for weeks. Understanding how content lives on each platform helps you post smarter, not more.
The key is to find a pace that fits your capacity—and stick with it. It’s better to post less often and show up with purpose than to flood your feed and fizzle out.
When I first started posting across Facebook and Instagram, I thought cross-posting would save time—and it does, to a point. But I quickly learned that every platform speaks a different language. What crushes on TikTok might fall flat on Facebook. A Facebook audience might lean into longer captions and a more formal tone, while TikTok thrives on quick cuts, messy edits, and behind-the-scenes humor. Instagram wants polish—clean visuals, vertical video, and curated vibes. Each space has its own vibe (and main audience), and you’ve got to learn the culture.
That doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel every time. A great vertical video can travel across Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts with just a few tweaks. A director’s quote might do great on Facebook but get totally lost in a TikTok caption. It’s about taking a few extra minutes to ask: What does this platform prioritize? What does my audience expect here?
And it’s not just how you post—it’s why. TikTok is a discovery tool; it’s where people find you. Instagram Stories are for building trust and selling tickets. Your website and newsletter? That’s your home base, where you control the message. The real goal is to move people—from scrolling to clicking your event link, from curious to committed.
At first, I thought the cornerstone of great theatre content would be those beautiful production photos— the ones that land in portfolios and press kits. And yes, they still matter. But when it comes to social media? Video wins. Every time.
Audiences don’t just scroll to watch—they stop for movement. TikTok and YouTube are built around it. Instagram favors Reels over stills. Even a quick, behind-the-scenes moment—an actor warming up, a set change in progress, a costume reveal—has more power to engage than the most carefully lit stage shot.
What I’ve learned is this: people don’t just want to see your work; they want to feel close to it. Short, intentional videos create that emotional connection. They don’t need to be polished. In fact, scrappy, lo-fi clips often feel more honest—and honesty builds trust.
It can be scary to show unfinished work. But letting people in on your process doesn’t spoil the magic—it invites them deeper into it. Teasing just a few moments can build anticipation, start conversations, and ultimately move someone from scrolling to showing up.
You don’t need a film crew to make great social content—but you do need to pay attention to the basics. I learned early on that the difference between a post people scroll past and one they actually watch often comes down to just a few technical details.
First up: framing. Keep your subject centered, avoid shooting too wide or too close, and always think about the layout of the platform you’re posting on. TikTok, for example, has buttons and captions all over the screen—so if someone’s face or key visual ends up under that text, the whole post loses its impact.
Lighting is huge. One of the most common mistakes I see is backlighting—when the brightest light is behind the subject instead of in front. You want the light behind the camera, not the person. Natural light is your best friend, but a cheap ring light or LED panel can go a long way in darker spaces. On TikTok and Instagram, brighter videos tend to perform better because the algorithms are literally trained to favor them.
Sound is just as important. Even a basic plug-in mic can make a huge difference in clarity. Always check for background noise—buzzing lights, echoey rooms, someone’s drill in the background. Don’t skip captions, though. A lot of people scroll with the sound off, and captions boost help engagement and accessibility. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s clarity and connection.
Performance has always been collaborative, communal, and wildly inventive—and honestly, those are the same instincts that make for great social media. These platforms aren’t just marketing tools to sell tickets. They’re stages of their own, where you get to tell the story of your company’s people, process, values, and vibe. When it’s done with care, social media doesn’t pull focus from the work—it amplifies it.
So start small. Pick one platform. Experiment. Be curious. It doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful—it just has to be you.
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