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Theatre Is Back, But Different
A new normal
In the fun part of my life, I’m an actor in community theatre. I have been for ten years now, returning to acting after many years of working multiple jobs, going to school, and (happily) raising small boys. It’s been a source of comfort to me, as well as being a challenge that I eagerly accept.
Theatre has gotten me through some dark times, providing an outlet where I can safely get out of my comfort zone and push my boundaries. Magic happens on stage when you can engage an audience and I’m there for it. I’m used to working on as many shows as I can in some capacity during our regular September — May season. When Covid hit, it was devastating, not only to our theatre, but to theatres all around the world.
We had just had a successful opening weekend of The Glass Menagerie in March 2020. I was playing Amada Wingfield, a bucket list role for me, very intense. We were gearing up for the next weekend when everything shut down. We thought, like many others, that we would be back up and running in a few weeks. When it became clear that this virus wasn’t going away, many theatres, including ours, produced some virtual plays and events, hoping to raise money to stay afloat and also keep our creativity going and our spirits up.
Virtual events weren’t a perfect substitute for being on stage, but they got us…
