I had been rehearsing for the production of Matilda. We were supposed to open the day that everything shut down. We had one dress rehearsal where we invited all the kids, family and friends. I know a lot of friends who either didn’t get shows to open or if they were in the show, it had to close right away. So that was really frustrating because you put all this work into something and you want to be able to share it with the world or your friends or family and stuff, then it kind of gets all ripped out from under you. At least we got to have like at least one performance for people. So we kind of had some closure. But some people didn’t even get that, you know.
I was also teaching after school program theater instructor after school program in the Bronx. When school shut down, we were kept on payroll. We moved to online and online after school. It changed for the whole three months until school closed. For the first couple weeks, we were just doing training, because they’re trying to figure out what to do with us. Then it became lots of Google classrooms and turned to Zoom meetings. I was just very lucky and fortunate to have kept my job. I didn’t lose income that way. But, it definitely went from feeling like you had purpose. I wasn’t even going into school to go to work. I was working from home. So I just thought, well, what’s my purpose right now?
I practice Nichiren Buddhism, which is chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. So we have this phrase called turning poison into medicine or basically turning lemons into lemonade. So I felt like this could either be a really sad, depressing time, or I could be like, this is the perfect time. Now that I’m settled, I have all this time to work on other things. I’ve been working on a Web series pilot for the past year and I had never committed anything to paper. So I actually wrote it. I had a reading on Zoom with some actors. I wrote a whole 10 minute pilot and actually had it performed on Zoom. Just to be able to hear my writing was so cool. Who knows when I would have gotten around to doing that because I would have been so busy with other things.
I also started doing some voiceover stuff because I have a microphone and I have a friend who does that. I was like, let me work on this part of performing. And then also just creating content online like everybody else. I created a sock puppet for a children’s show. My friend wanted me to do a Zoom party for her kids so I came up with this puppet where we have a little back and forth thing. We have our little repartee, and the kids loved it. Also, I had a movie that dropped online in May. Just keeping positive and trying to build my skills so that when we finally do get back into performing on stage my muscles haven’t atrophied literally and figuratively.
On the 13th of July, I started a physical summer camp for six weeks and I was drawing unemployment. So I was fortunate enough to not be completely screwed financially.
I’ve learned that I can be resilient, that I can pivot when I need to. I’m trying more just to be more of a self starter on things. And when I have an idea or there’s something I want to do, just start doing it. I needed to get my website up and running again so I took a day and I signed up, paid the thing to get active again and started doing things there just to get to market myself in a different way. I’m looking for some other classes that I want to take. I want to take a screenwriting class. So I’m really proud of myself and the way that I haven’t let myself fall into a depression about not being able to do a live performance, even though I do want to do a live performance. But also I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve been able to keep positive.
