An Actor's Honest Concerns For The Theatre Industry Post-Quarantine

With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the country as we know it, the numbers are looking grim. As of April 17, already 11,000+ New York City residents have succumbed to the deadly virus, with upwards of 22 million Americans filing for unemployment.

If and when we achieve a new normal, things will never be the same.

I caught up with fellow performer, James Schultz, on how he’s staying safe in Long Island during quarantine, his philosophy for the pandemic, how he’s coping financially, and why he’s concerned for the theatre industry moving forward.

Read our conversation below.

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James Schultz

Where are you currently spending your time in quarantine?

I’m currently at my Mom’s house on Long Island. She is selling the house but currently is in Florida so helping pack things up and sell stuff (while she’s away) thankfully has been filling up a lot of time. 

How has the pandemic changed your way of life? How are you coping?

Well, obviously a lot less auditioning and no work from my survival jobs has been difficult. Basically, like the rest of us, I’m just taking it one day at a time. Trying to find the silver, or even just brass, linings in this weird situation.

Like I said, packing up this house is a distraction, being with my sister and nephew (who I’m quarantined with) helps, talking to my girlfriend, reading plays, trying to take virtual courses, and, of course, watching everything I can find on alllllll the streaming services; all of that is occupying my time.

The main thing that helps me cope, though, is my belief that “everything happens for a reason.” I know it’s simplistic but I’ve been a huge proponent of that saying for a long time. We may not realize it yet, or see it as quickly as we’d like, but everything that happens in ours lives happens for a reason. Believing that gives me that light at the end of the tunnel.

Did you lose any contracted performance work due to the pandemic?

I literally just received the email from my agent today that the contracted work I had set for the summer at a regional theatre in Rhode Island is being postponed to 2021. It stinks but, honestly, I’m not alone, many of us have gotten/will get similar emails, so que sera sera, what will be, will be. This just means I was meant to be free this summer or that some new and different opportunity was meant to come along.

Do you still have any other sources of income that are helping sustain you through this crisis?

I’m currently working on that. Sadly, everyone and their mother is looking for remote work too so it’s easier said then done. Thankfully, I have enough saved to not be too worried, financially. Even trying to start up my own business potentially.

Have you had to file for unemployment? Have you had any success?

I HAVE filed for unemployment and already have been receiving benefits. It was much easier for me to get through, file, and claim, than a lot of my friends, I’ve noticed. I’m not sure why that is (timing, location, whatever) but it just sucks to see that it’s been so difficult for many to get through to something that is so vital for our community right now. 

What are your biggest concerns with the theatre industry moving forward?

Look, the theatre industry will be back up and running soon enough. You have plenty of artists, musicians, directors, etc, who all want to work. The one thing that I’m concerned about regarding a post COVID theatre industry, however, is the speed at which the public will want to return.

Even if and when theatres open back up, I’m afraid the audiences may still be wary of returning to large gatherings of people sitting together to watch a show. The audience is a crucial part of this collaborative artform and what’s scary is that it may take a while for them to want to come together again. This IS an industry, show “business”, and if the audiences don’t come back fast enough to create enough revenue for theatres to run properly, the possibility is we could still lose so many theatre companies, shows, and, jobs, even after this passes.

We’ll be back, but what’s frightening is what we’ll lose along the way. 

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James is a New York based actor originally from Brookhaven, Long Island. He has trained at the Gateway Acting School, the New York Film Academy, and with the Upright Citizens Brigade, as well as with private teachers and coaches. For three years, he worked as a resident company member at Theatre Three, a regional theatre in Port Jefferson, NY and since then, has performed regionally around the country and been on the How The Grinch Stole Christmas national tour for three years. Favorite credits include 42nd Street, Vincent, Proof, First Date, Crossing Delancey, The Full Monty, Les Miserables, 1776, Newsies, Don’t Dress for Dinner, Curtains, and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. 

Website: www.Jamesschultz.net 

Instagram: @jamesdschultz 

Facebook: james.s.dominick