After COVID-19, will the show go on?
Performers struggling as virus darkens the stage
Joseph Martinez had a part as a guest artist in the musical “Miss You Like Hell” at the University of Pittsburgh amid the coronavirus pandemic in October. The show was able to go on with strict protocols, social distancing and digital streaming, but other acting jobs had quickly vanished.
He had also been furloughed from his job as a server at The Porch at Schenley restaurant in Oakland when the pandemic arrived in midMarch.
That’s been the story for many. As the pandemic stole millions of jobs, actors and other performing artists saw their livelihoods vanish overnight.
Pennsylvania’s creative sector has lost $4.4 billion in revenue since
COVID-19 hit. About 55% of the state’s creative workers are unemployed, which translates to about $2.7 billion in lost wages, said Clay Lord, vice president for strategic impact at
the nonprofit advocacy organization Americans for the Arts.
“[Performing artists] are out of
work at a rate that is at least three times the national rate,” Mr. Lord said. “And because of the unique nature of live entertainment and performance, they’re likely to be out of work for a longer time than almost anyone else.”
Three local creatives — Mr. Martinez, Lissa Brennan and Jonathan Berry — shared their experiences of the past year, offering a glimpse of how COVID-19 has changed their lives and how local theater is struggling to survive.
Mr. Martinez isn’t making what he used to from acting, although he was able to return to work at his restaurant job after about two months.
Since the pandemic hit, he has received a $500 grant from Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co., as well as unemployment compensation, but he still has trouble keeping up. The theater company, itself relying on foundations to keep going, began offering the grants to help creators last summer.
“There is a culture of people throughout our country that have no income coming in right now, and we’re having to scramble to make ends meet — insurance benefits, something as simple as keeping your phone up, health care, Wi-Fi, all across the board,” Mr. Martinez said.
He used some of the grant money he received to enroll in a playwriting workshop. He predicted the industry “rat race” would become even more competitive than it was before once live shows start up, with nonunion actors lining up hours early for posted auditions. He believes the performing arts won’t return to normal until 2022.
But he does think the struggle might also have other side effects.
“I have a feeling, through this pandemic, you’re going to see a birth of brand-new work and a birth of new visionaries coming through. Maybe what’s traditional as we know it may not come to fruition,” he said.
“This entertainment industry is definitely in question, and there is a culture of people whose vocation this is that might have to find a different type of work.”
Lissa Brennan
For actor, director and playwright Lissa Brennan, the pandemic took more than her work.
In February, she became seriously ill, although she wasn’t sure of the cause. In March, her show “Hoard,” which was set for a run at Off the Wall productions in Carnegie and in New York City, was canceled after four performances. Soon after, Pittsburgh Playwrights canceled “1902,” part of her steel mill-set series, “Grist From the Mill.”
An antibody test finally revealed the mysterious illness the South Side Slopes resident had contracted was COVID-19. She’s still suffering from its effects.
“I’m selling my house to get medical treatment for the symptoms that I’m dealing with from COVID,” Ms. Brennan said. “I had it in February of last year and again in November, and the health issues that I’m struggling with right now are long-term, long-hauler issues from the February bout.”
Ms. Brennan has significant lung damage. A 50-mile -a-week runner, she collapsed after running 100 feet while playing with her dog.
While recovering, she was approached by Mark Clayton Southers, Pittsburgh Playwrights’ producing artistic and executive director. He offered her a choice: Record “1902” onstage for streaming or do something different. She chose something different.
Ms. Brennan and the Downtown-based theater company shot scenes of her play at the Carrie Furnaces in Swissvale and other sites in the area. The finished work will be available to stream for free Jan. 31 at pghplaywrights.org. Though pleased her onewoman show will be seen, Ms. Brennan emphasized what is lost without a shared storytelling space.
She is hopeful about the return of “Hoard,” rescheduled at Off the Wall for September, but is unsure about staying in Pittsburgh after selling her house.
“Anyone who is a performer in Pittsburgh is going to be significantly impacted by this because our opportunities to work are gone,” Ms. Brennan said. “[The pandemic] has essentially taken our livelihoods away from us.”
Jonathan Berry
Jonathan Berry had been a social worker and an actor in Pittsburgh for decades when the pandemic hit. He said 2020 was the first year since about 2006 he hadn’t been in at least a couple of plays.
“It’s been tight. Even now, I’m actually considering driving for UberEats to make some extra money. I don’t make a lot of money with my artistic stuff, but you really realize what you had when it’s no longer there.”
Mr. Berry received a $500 grant from Pittsburgh Playwrights that came “right on time” to help him and his family. He said he hasn’t received any other financial assistance set aside for artists.
Still, he said, the pandemic gave him an opportunity to focus on his own creativity. He started the YouTube channel and Facebook group “Dream Unrealistic With Jonathan Berry” to chronicle his artistic journey and provide tips to actors. Hundreds of people have joined the group, providing inspiration and encouragement for each other.
The Penn Hills resident performed in a filmed version of Langston Hughes’ gospel-style retelling of the Christmas Nativity story, “Black Nativity,” in late 2020. The show is a Pitt holiday tradition led by lecturer Oronde S. Sharif.
“I got kind of comfortable and complacent in my new norm a little bit, but when the opportunity came my way, I jumped on it,” he said. “I was really proud of our effort. The acting, especially the live stuff, always presents a beautiful challenge.”
He said most local actors go unsung, but he hoped there would be renewed support for the arts as the vaccine rollout continues across the country and performances return.
“I just hope that it causes them to appreciate the arts even more,” Mr. Berry said. “There’s a very specific fan base that the artists have here, and they’re faithful.
“But there are a lot of people who’ve never been to a play or gone Downtown to take in a play or a musical or the orchestra. Hopefully, it will invigorate people and give them a desire to get out and experience these things.”