In-person theater is back. A lost generation of artists chose not to return with it
The impact of COVID-19 on the American theater industry is immeasurable: the terrible loss of life, the indefinite cancellation of productions, the sudden stop in hard-earned livelihoods. The industry touted it as an intermission of sorts and, two years later, a majority of theaters nationwide are resuming in-person programming. But many of those who sustain the scene have since pivoted away from the stage.
“Part of being in theater is putting on costumes and wigs, no matter how silly you feel,” she says. “I didn’t realize until after a year or so of not going on chorus call auditions that I was also doing that in my everyday life, presenting myself a certain way in order to have a job. When the pandemic wiped her slate of acting gigs, the 28-year-old enrolled in law school at New York University, focusing on juvenile justice andat their suspension hearings. “I try to get their charges dropped and get them back in school by telling their stories and communicating with an audience effectively,” she explains.
Leeds’ swivel from the stage may not be permanent. “I’m more than happy to wait until there’s an industry-wide change in the way arts employers treat their employees,” he says. “For a lot of people who come out of college programs, work outside the arts gets turned into this ‘other’ and that can put artists in certain situations. It turns out those desk jobs I avoided can be pretty fulfilling.
“Before the pandemic, I was so, so close to getting those Broadway credits,” they say. “But I was in parallel tracks with peers with significant financial privilege, who had so much more time to network and do workshops that didn’t pay. I decided it wasn’t worth it anymore, and now, I’m finally getting paid my worth.”As the associate literary director of Washington D.C.'s Studio Theatre for nine years, Lauren Halvorsen helped plan each season by evaluating hundreds of scripts.