NYC Actress Susannah Crowell Warns The Rest Of The Country During COVID-19

New York City is officially the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis. As of April 25, there have been 150,576 confirmed cases in New York City, leading to 16,270 probable deaths.

I caught up with fellow performer, Susannah Crowell, who recently moved to Queens, NY and has now found herself in the heart of the pandemic. She revealed how she’s coping in isolation, how she’s maintaining income despite all odds, and why she’s warning Americans protesting lockdowns across the country.

Read our conversation below.

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Susannah Crowell

Where are you currently spending your time in quarantine

I’m in a new apartment in Astoria, Queens. My partner and I moved in in February.

You are now living in one of the most infected areas in the US, so you know firsthand what it’s like being in the heart of the pandemic. What would you say to Americans in states like Ohio, Michigan, Colorado etc. who are protesting lockdowns?

It can be difficult to convince those who believe the Coronavirus is a government scheme or that we shouldn’t be socially distancing to stay safe otherwise. Most people are gathering information from sources they trust, but a lot of news sources are wrong. People are making a lot of things up. I would say to look at the cold, hard facts of what this virus is doing and how other countries have handled the virus and their outcomes. However, you’re going to get radically different answers depending on where you’re looking. Ultimately, lives are at stake, so would you rather play it safe when gambling with life-or-death circumstances, or take a risk? Know that you put everyone else at risk when you take one.

Nonessential businesses have shut down, the MTA has reduced subway service, and still life must go on. How are you safely getting your essentials?

I live a block from a train and haven’t seen the subway in a month and a half! Thankfully, my neighborhood has plenty of essential businesses in walking distance. We have several options for groceries, laundry, and takeout restaurants within a few blocks of us, so it’s a quick walk to whatever we need.

Are you happy with how NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo is handling the pandemic?

He’s definitely quick and calm under pressure and is taking the cautious route in handling the health of the state’s people. Considering how big and unprecedented the whole situation is, I think he’s handling this measured and prepared. I believe he’s one of the country’s biggest leader in this crisis.

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

Like everyone else, every decision I make is put through a heavy filter with our current circumstances. I spend my days inside coming up with new creative ways to pass the time and make a living. Exploring this city I just moved to has been postponed indefinitely, as well as defining a new life here. I don’t have community here yet, so a lot of my social Zoom calls are with people from back home. It’s kind of like I never left, but with food and rent prices going up. It takes a village, and I really look forward to finding and contributing to that village once people are out and about again.

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

A cabaret I was scheduled to perform in went digital rather than cancel. I had to adjust the routine to capture myself on my phone in my living room, but when we live-streamed the show, we ended up having more of an audience than could’ve fit in the original club space! It’s a silver lining.

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

My partner works remotely for his job back in Texas, but things are tight. The four events-based companies I was contracted with have no work right now, but I’m getting creative. I’m using my experience with children, acting, comedy, and character voiceover and host a Patreon-exclusive read-aloud series for kids and adults! Our first book is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and it releases chapter-by-chapter at patreon.com/susannahcrowell.

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

I have tried every Monday, since you have a specific day of the week when you can file by last name in New York, and the page has never loaded. I’m still working on it.

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

I’m concerned live theatre won’t bounce back so quickly in terms of attendance. Musical theatre in particular is so expensive and hard to keep profitable already, I’m worried there may be even less live musical theatre than before. In my hometown, Austin, TX, many local theatres were just starting to pay actors any stipends at all before the virus; I’m afraid it will be years for the scene to reach that level again, and any actors who haven’t reached a certain level of success yet may be even less lucky going forward.

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Susannah Crowell is a musical theatre performer, comedian, and voiceover artist based in New York City from Austin, TX. Past work includes Lily St. Regis in Annie (Texarts), Creon in Oedipus the Tyrant (Fox Den Theatre), Crowley in Amazon Prime’s Good Omens activation at SXSW, Handmaid in Hulu’s A Handmaid’s Tale activations in Austin and NYC, and her Youtube channel, Susanamation.