This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Mo Brady: You're listening to The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. I'm Mo Brady.

[0:21] Mo Brady: This was meant to be a celebratory week for the New York theater community. We were meant to be exhausted from weeks of two-show days and press events. We were meant to be cheering each other on while we gamed award ceremonies. We were meant to be celebrating the power of coming together and seeing dreams come true. But instead, we are sheltering at home. This pause has been touted as only intermission for the theater industry, and yet, we have no real sense of when we will be able to return to our seats and start Act II. We were first asked to hold for four weeks, then twelve weeks, and now twenty-five weeks. Half a year of sheltering in place without a clear sense of when we will be able to feel the energy of coming together to tell and hear stories.

On the list of what makes a healthy and thriving society, no one would put musical theater at the top of vital services. In a world where PPEs, testing, and vaccines are scarce, there are more important things for our society to tackle than the health of the theater industry. And yet, the arts are what make life worth living. As we've sheltered in place and quarantined at home, it is music, dance, and storytelling that has kept our spirits up. But what about the spirits of those who tell the stories? As storytellers are asked to find new and unknown ways to share their time and talents, how are they coping in these uncharted waters? Of course, the path that our performing arts community travels down during this time is littered with moments they missed.

Award shows and press performances and the feeling of being both very, very tired and very, very fulfilled. But there must also be glimmers of hope along that path. Those worth celebrating in their own way. I reached out to friends in the Broadway community who were meant to be performing in new musicals this season about how they're coping with disappointment and finding moments of hope. Here's what they had to say.

[2:15] Mo Brady: Hey, listeners. If you're a fan of The Ensemblist, here's another podcast we think you might enjoy from Backstage, the number one resource for performers and talent seekers. In the envelope, the Actors Podcast features intimate, in-depth interviews with today's most award-worthy film, television, and theater stars. From Bryan Cranston to Natalie Portman to Laura Linney. Sometimes you'll have experiences that are great. And those are magical, and you have to enjoy every second of those. And then sometimes you're going to be in productions that just don't work. And they're painful, and it's awful, and it's embarrassing. But you learn a lot. Tune into these weekly conversations full of inspiration, know-how, and advice on navigating the biz by subscribing to Backstage in the envelope, wherever you listen to podcasts.

[3:04] Mo Brady: What is perhaps most striking about how the Broadway community has stayed at home is where that home actually was. When the Broadway shutdown was announced, many main-stem performers chose to flee from New York, the epicenter of COVID-19 cases at the time. Zach Adkins of Diana, A True Musical Story, Kaleigh Cronin of Mrs. Doubtfire, and Ricky Ubeda of West Side Story each left New York in the days, weeks, or even hours after the shutdown was announced.

[3:43] Zach Adkins: Hi, I'm Zach Adkins. I'm currently in the Broadway cast of Diana. I've been sheltering in place in Ohio. I did three weeks of shelter in New York after we were shut down on Broadway. My neighborhood was particularly hit really hard, Washington Heights. And so three weeks in, I had a very dear friend reach out who has a very severe asthma condition. And she said she needed to get outside the city and was looking for someone to drive with. So we drove home together. Also, my dog, Moose, made the trip home with us. And he is just loving outdoor space. And we're kind of just living our country boy dreams for the next few weeks.

[4:23] Kaleigh Cronin: My husband, John, who's a Broadway pit musician, our dog, Rosie, and I left New York when our shows were shut down and headed to my parents' home in New Hampshire before any of the travel bans were in place.

[4:36] Ricky Ubeda: I am currently sheltering in Miami, Florida. I came down here the night that Broadway went dark pretty much in a panic, thinking they were going to close the airports. But for many performers, sheltering at home meant staying in the city. Brittany Coleman of Company and DeAnne Stewart of Jagged Little Pill each chose to stay in their homes they've created in New York to ride out the pandemic, whether that be with loved ones or simply their loved plants.

[5:05] Brittany Coleman: Brittany Coleman here and I am currently in New York City right now. I'm in my apartment in Washington Heights. And it's just me here, which has been really interesting. I started with a few plants and in my time in quarantine, I've learned how to propagate. So I now have almost four times as many plants. And I'm realizing it's probably time for a pet right now. I thought about going back to Michigan to stay with my parents, but they're definitely in the at-risk age bracket. And I just didn't feel comfortable bringing all of New York City with me into their home in Michigan. So I am taking one for the team, being responsible and isolating in New York City.

[5:49] DeAnne Stewart: So I have primarily been quarantined in my apartment in New York City, Brooklyn. And I've been with my fiancé and my dog. It's been pretty crazy being in the city. I feel so disconnected because, you know, I've only been to Manhattan. I've been to Manhattan twice during this time. Once when I had to go get tested for COVID. And the second time when I had to go to the theater to get a bunch of the rest of my stuff. And it's just pretty crazy. I just feel like kind of disconnected.

[6:26] Kyle Brown: Hi there, my name is Kyle Brown. I am currently sheltering in place in upstate New York with my partner Nick Adams and my dog Dallas. We've been up here since March, since the stay-at-home order went in place. We got out of the city and rented a cabin upstate where we've been this whole time, just trying to enjoy nature and isolate ourselves and keep ourselves and everyone else safe.

[7:01] Mo Brady: But wherever they've chosen to call home, staying at home has provided almost all of them with unexpected time to connect with family.

[7:08] DeAnne Stewart: And then I ended up doing two weeks of quarantine with my mom, who is an essential worker, just to be safe for people at her work. So it was like a really nice experience for me and her to bond and to be in the same house for two weeks and not going anywhere.

[7:23] Brittany Coleman: I am so grateful to have had this time with my parents and have not taken for granted the fact that we are so lucky to be sheltering in a suburban home with a big, really nice backyard and fresh air. So that's been wonderful.

[7:38] Kaleigh Cronin: This is where I was born and raised. I'm here with my abuela, my mom, my brother, and then my sister, who is actually out in these streets testing COVID. She got a job in a lab where they send the samples and they figure out whether it's positive or negative. So she's out there being a hero while I'm back at home flailing endlessly in my backyard.

[8:13] Zach Adkins: A moment over the last nine weeks that has been particularly challenging? That's a hard question to answer because there have been quite a few moments that have been pretty challenging. I mean, to begin with, I tested positive for COVID-19. That was very frustrating. Just having to go through the symptoms of the virus and the unknown of the virus. It was also frustrating because after about three or three to four weeks of not having symptoms, I started having symptoms again. And when I was tested, I tested negative for the virus. So having symptoms even after the virus is technically not in your system anymore and the unknown of that was pretty scary.

[9:03] Kaleigh Cronin: In the last nine weeks, there have definitely been some challenging moments. I would say the most recent was getting this last notice about Broadway not reopening until September 6th, which is still ambitious in my opinion, but no one knows for sure. And it just really put things into perspective for me. As far as staying in touch with all of my castmates and company, we've all really tried to stay in touch with each other every week and check in with one another. And I texted them all when we got this notice saying, oh my God, this is the first time. I thought, what am I going to do until September? I think the realization of the severity of this illness and the fact that this is obviously going to go on way longer than we originally thought was a really tough pill to swallow.

There was a time just over a month ago where many friends and family members were very sick and it was terrifying to know so many loved ones, especially people in our business affected by this was really, really frightening.

[10:07] Zach Adkins: I hit a point of just feeling immense grief and sadness over just the loss of a lot of so many things actually. Grief due to losing a family member to the virus as well as just grief over the loss of a lot of exciting events that were supposed to be happening and plans that I had for this year. Getting married in September, which hopefully will still be happening in some capacity. It's like I constantly get the questions of like, oh, like, what are you guys doing? Or do you know anything yet? And like, I get it. People are curious. But it's also like, it's just, it's obviously like I'm thinking about it. Who knows? Because we don't know. We don't know what's happening beyond next week at this point.

You know, something that's been really challenging the last nine weeks is grappling with the idea that we are not only going to lose people to this virus from a healthcare standpoint, but from a financial standpoint. I come from a middle class family. So there's, there's not really a safety net for people like me. If I'm not working, I can't afford to live in New York City. And so I've also surrounded myself with actors who are from a similar upbringing. And these are people who have jobs to go back to at the moment. And they're giving up their apartments indefinitely and moving away for an unclear amount of time. I also just think the unknown of the time that we're living in is a day to day struggle for me.

[12:03] Zach Adkins: And so I've just been trying to stay positive and live in the moment that I am in right now, which is I am sitting in a cabin in upstate New York, looking at this beautiful view of mountains with my loved ones, my dog and my partner, and I feel healthy again. So just trying to stay positive. I feel this obligation to be very productive during this time. But I also feel equally obligated to take care of myself and check in with my friends and make sure that they're okay. And check in with my loved ones and check in with my community. What can I do for my community right now when we're all socially isolated? How can we help each other from afar? A lot of questions that don't necessarily have answers right now.

So the scope of it is overwhelming. You know, what's weird is what has really been challenging me over the last nine weeks is also what's inspiring me. You know, they're two sides of the same coin. It's how you look at the situation. For me personally, it's been a really nice time to refocus myself and readjust my attitude. It's put everything in perspective for me. Things I would have presumably been disappointed by, like celebrating what would have been Mrs. Doubtfire's opening night on Broadway via a virtual zoom call instead of the real thing, turned into the best night of quarantine for me so far. I wore my dress from my eighth grade dance that I still happen to have in my childhood closet, and got online where we all celebrated our amazing, beautiful show.

And we were all just so grateful to have our health and to have each other have this beautiful family that we've built. So it was such, such a special night. And I think that night's gone on to set the tone for how I approach this whole situation. You know, anytime I feel myself feeling frustrated or discouraged, I think, okay, what's really important? You have your health, you have your family, you have your loved ones, everything else will figure itself out.

[14:17] Zach Adkins: Something that has been really inspiring to me these last nine weeks is watching the Broadway community lift up Nick Cordero and Amanda Kloots and their beautiful, beautiful child up in prayer and energy. I don't know how many listeners know exactly what's going on at this point. He has been really, really, really, really struggling in the hospital. And oh my gosh, it is just incredible to see so many people rally on social media and ask for prayers and send so much love. Every single day, my family and I, along with hundreds of thousands of other friends, supporters, and total strangers, blast Nick's original song, Live Your Life, and film ourselves rocking out to his song and post it with the latest hashtag.

It was hashtag wake up Nick. And now that he is woke, the new hashtag is off the vent. Seeing not only our community, but people from all over the world come together in support of this man and his family has been so overwhelmingly beautiful. I don't know Nick. I've never met him personally. I don't know Amanda. I don't know their family. And I hope I get to meet him one day. You know, it reminds me that there are some really incredible people, not just talented people, but beautiful people on the inside and out that, you know, when you put out that light, when you put out that love, it comes right back to you. And I think they are such a perfect example of that. Love is universal. And I'm so glad that love is being poured all over Nick's family from everywhere right now.

[16:01] Zach Adkins: One of the most inspiring things that this time has brought on for me is truly feeling like a kid again. In a really magical way, I came back to shelter where I was born and raised. I'm with my family who I was raised with. And it kind of feels like summer break, just like an endless summer break when I was a teenager. And so it puts me in the headspace creatively, of just wanting to do things for the hell of it. And wanting to just be creative for just the sake of being creative, not to show anybody, not to hopefully get this thing produced. And that I don't think I felt in many, many years. And so I'm just really enjoying the heck out of that. I've had quite a few moments that have really touched me, where after like, putting out some form of art, be it you know, videos for Jagged or also like I released a song that I wrote earlier this year.

And just kind of this crazy, like homemade video that I made to go with it, I received a lot of really sweet messages about how that really helped someone else and how that uplifted and inspired them. And that's really meant a lot to me to know that, you know, even in this crazy time, and with art not being the way it's typically for me, like typically able to be translated, it still really touched people. So that means kind of everything to me.

[17:26] Zach Adkins: I would have to say that a moment for me, over the past nine weeks that I felt inspired has been when I've been working on this socially distanced, immersive piece called Alone Together that Michael Arden had this idea and brought together a group of actors to create art in the time of COVID that doesn't really rely solely on being virtual. It's not, you know, an online concert or an online reading. For me, that sounded really interesting and has been super inspiring working with these actors and kind of coming up with what this piece can be and what it can say. Just, you know, having the time to communicate and create with other performers, actors, has been truly inspiring and I'm grateful for it.

[18:38] Zach Adkins: What is truly inspiring and what we all should be leaning into right now is we have the chance to rebuild Broadway. We are on the forefront of any actor will tell you when they're in the hustle of auditioning, you know, you walk into those rooms and you hype yourself up in a way that's like, I have to get this job instead of approaching it as, wow, what a great opportunity to meet this team and to meet that director and to meet this casting director. And so that's been really nice to readjust because when you're putting up a Broadway show, the situations that happen in that building, it's really hard to see the outside world and to see it through a different lens. And so being able to have time to step back and reassess what you're dealing with in these small proximities isn't really that important.

[19:30] Mo Brady: Special thanks to Zach Adkins, Kyle Brown, Brittany Coleman, Kaleigh Cronin, DeAnne Stewart, and Ricky Ubeda for sharing their stories with us today. The Ensemblist was produced today by Jackson Klein and me, Mo Brady. There are two great ways you can be helping The Ensemblist right now. One is by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. And the second is by becoming a Patreon member at patreon.com slash The Ensemblist. Please follow The Ensemblist wherever you listen to podcasts, whether that be on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, or at bpn.fm, the home of Broadway Podcast Network. You can also follow us on Instagram. Thanks for listening. Until next time.