With A Little Help From My Friends

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With A Little Help From My Friends

I often say that I know some of the best people, and I think that’s true.

Some of the most wonderful, giving, caring, and delightful people I’ve ever met can be found amongst my friends, colleagues, students, peers, and family.

Now, I’m a bit of a go-getter personality who is often most productive alone. (Surprised, anyone?) And I’m sure many of you out there feel similarly, even if just when applied to work.

But this quarantine has shifted that mentality. And not just for me, but across the globe.

I think people are realizing that sure, lots of work can be done remotely, but it’s nothing like being together with other people working toward a common goal. And people are craving that feeling more than ever.

We may not be able to make that happen in person quite yet, but it’s brought people together in some other beautiful ways. And what’s being put out into the world is good.

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What Is Quarantine Theatre?

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What Is Quarantine Theatre?

This is a big question, and one that many people are currently trying to answer:

How can we make and perform theatre from our current states of quarantine and extreme social distance?

I’ve seen and heard this topic explored all over the place, particularly over the past two weeks, as we all look forward into a summer likely to leave theaters across the country (and the world) with nothing but well-lit ghosts.

I’ve personally seen this question posed by:

  • The Dramatists Live (hosted by Joey Stock, Amanda Green, and Christine Toy Johnson weekly)

  • Lauren Gunderson on her Howlround TV show (excellent, by the way!)

  • Ken Davenport in his blog

  • Multiple Artistic Directors of professional theaters

  • The heads of several University Theatre Departments

  • Teaching Artist friends and colleagues

  • And several quarantine-specific online creator groups

And if that’s just what I’ve seen - without specifically searching on this topic - I imagine that theatrical people everywhere are looking for these same answers.

So, what are people coming up with?

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In A Far-Away Land...

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In A Far-Away Land...

You know how most fairytales begin by specifying that either the events of the story or the Prince/Princess live in a “Faraway Land”?

That’s us. All of us.

We are all the people in extraordinary circumstances living out strange stories in our own personal faraway lands. (Though I’m not sure if that take makes me feel better or worse about it…)

What we have at our disposal however, which the characters of the fairytales sorely lack, is a way to communicate between our faraway lands. A way to peek through small windows into the other peoples’ lives. A way to connect.

Is it as wonderful as being able to ride a steed or step through a portal and be fully immersed in another space?

No, certainly not.

But we do have this technology to give us an advantage. An advantage allowing for new and continued connection, friendship, and creation.

Today, I would like to share some of my quarantine connections, and how they’ve worked (or not worked).

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Must We Put On Pants?

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Must We Put On Pants?

Depending on where you are in the country, you may be on Shut-In Day 3 or Day 13. Here in NYC, it’s the latter.

And over the course of these days/weeks, we’ve all been making major shifts in our work lives as we try to figure out keeping ourselves at home while still making an income.

For some people, this shift to at-home and online work has been relatively simple - perhaps their type of work is done mostly online anyway, they’ve worked from home before, or an office just isn’t necessary.

But what about the rest of us?

Artists of all types - and particularly those whose work relies on in-person contact - are now isolated and unable to perform the tasks generally necessary to their craft.

So, how do we move forward with our work?

How do we make any sort of money?

And do we have to put on pants to do it?

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