Quarantine Q/A: CAELAN CREASER

Caelan Creaser, backstage, as Elsa in the national tour of Disney's Frozen
photo courtesy Caelan Creaser

by Gil Benbrook

Our series of "Quarantine" interviews, which focus on individuals involved in the Phoenix theatre community and their reaction to Arizona's stay at home mandate, continues today with a conversation with ASU grad and ariZoni award winner Caelan Creaser, who was appearing in the national tour of Disney's Frozen when the stay at home mandates started.

COVID-19 has affected us all in many ways. The theatre community has been harshly impacted with show closures and postponements. We hope this series of daily interviews will be a way to provide some personal insight to what people are doing during this period of time while highlighting familiar individuals from the theatre community in town.

Was there a show you were in or involved with or preparing for when the stay at home order started?

Creaser: "When the stay at home order started, I was in Portland with the First National Tour of Frozen. I'm in the ensemble and am also the Elsa Understudy."

How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?

"I definitely, along with many other actors, have been affected by our current situation. Currently, our tour is postponed as we await to see when cities start to open back up again. Once Equity decides that it's safe to resume our tour- we will... which will hopefully be sooner than later. Our entire company performed a show in Portland one night, then the next day had a company meeting where we were told our tour was postponed until further notice due to the coronavirus. I ended up driving home a couple days later after I packed all my things and said my "See ya laters" to my cast and crew family!"

How has your daily routine changed?

"My daily routine has definitely slowed down- a lot! I'm currently living at home with my family in Seattle. I am definitely someone who loves to stay active, so I'm trying to stay busy and give myself a daily 'schedule' to the best of my ability. It's hard to go from an established routine of 8-9 shows a week to just staying at home. I'm trying to make the best of this time off by doing what I love. I try to sing everyday and take daily dance classes- whether that's on Instagram live or with some of my favorite dance teachers from NYC and AZ. I also love doing at home workouts, walks, and yoga sessions with my mom! "

Caelan Creaser and the cast of Legally Blonde
ASU Music Theatre and Opera
Photo by Tim Trumble

What do you feel will be different when theater restarts?

"I think theatre will definitely be different when it restarts. Whether that's placing people 6 ft apart in the audience, to having audience members wear masks when going to see live theatre, I think our daily lives will be impacted for a little longer than we originally thought. I also know that SO many actors are going to be overjoyed to be performing again, so I think live theatre will be that more magical when it DOES finally reopen!"

When do you think that’ll happen?

"I'm not sure when exactly theaters will reopen. I just hope that we do open when it is safe to do so. While I love my job and performing, I ultimately can't do that if so many people are still getting sick from this virus!"

What have you been doing to stay creative during this time?

"To help stay creative during this time I've been trying to learn new vocal rep. I've really been getting back into jazz music- which has been fun to sing a different genre besides just musical theatre. I've also been doing a lot of crafts with my sister and mom in preparation for my sister's wedding which has been really exciting getting ready for her big day!"

Any binge tv shows you’ve watched?

"I can't recommend enough watching Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu. It was absolutely brilliant and I loved all the female actors, producers, writers, and directors that were involved in the making of that show! I also have binged watched the very popular Tiger King on Netflix- which is just such a wild show you have to watch it to believe it, haha!"

Any new hobbies you’ve taken on?

It's not necessarily a new hobby per se, but I DID just rescue a new 7 week old puppy named Ollie. He definitely is keeping me very busy with lots of training, play time, walks, and cuddles. So, I guess he's my new hobby I've picked up, haha!

How has this experience changed you?

Caelan Creaser and Trisha Ditsworth in Guys and Dolls
Arizona Broadway Theatre
Photo by Scott Samplin

"This experience has taught me to take everything for granted. Doing 8 or 9 shows a week AND traveling can be a lot. I found myself sometimes wishing for more than just one day off a week. Now looking back, I definitely regret having those thoughts- I didn't want THIS long of a break haha! I also think the quarantine has taught me to really value family time more and check in with friends who normally I don't catch up with as often. I think we often 'busy' ourselves too much pre-virus, and it's been nice to really just take things slow and appreciate the family and friends that we have in our lives!"

What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to not that the stay at home order has been lifted and some businesses have started to reopen?

"I think the biggest thing I'm looking forward to is not only performing again in Frozen, but also seeing my cast and giving them all the biggest hugs. Being on tour with the same group of people you create such a special bond. I really miss my Frozen family and I can't wait to perform, celebrate, and see them in person again and not just in our weekly Zoom catchups! "