Survey reveals COVID’s toll on entertainment workers

— Like so many, the pandemic upended life for actor and dancer Rena Riffel. The Los Angeles-based performer needed help with rent, utilities and counselling when jobs suddenly dried up.

“Being an artist, we are already very fragile with our finances,” she said. “It’s like an ebb and flow. So when the pandemic happened and everything shut down, for myself and for everyone else, there’s really no hope. There’s no opportunity.”

Riffel’s experience is echoed in a new survey by the Actors Fund that illustrates the depths of need created by the COVID-19 pandemic in the arts community. Released Thursday, it reveals financial hardship, food insecurity and lost housing.

The survey of 7,163 people helped by the organization found that 76% of respondents lost income and 40% reported reduced food security.

Some 28% fell behind in rent or mortgage and 20% were forced to change housing. Ten per cent of respondents had to sell a large asset, such as a house or a car. A massive 79% of respondents reported that COVID-19 had a negative impact on their mental health, with increased feelings of anxiety or depression.

The Fund provides a national safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals in the fields of film theatre, television, music, opera, radio and dance.

Last year, it served more than 40,000 individuals, a 71% increase from 2019. It distributed more than $19 million in direct cash to about 15,000 individuals.