Quarantine Q/A: Maureen Watson

Maureen Watson

by Gil Benbrook

Our series of "Quarantine" interviews, which focus on individuals involved in the Phoenix theatre community and their reaction to our current stay at home mandate, continues today with a conversation with local actress and Greasepaint Youth Theatre's Artistic and Managing Director Maureen Watson

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?

Watson: "At Greasepaint, we closed 13 The Musical on March 15th.  We made  the decision and shared with our families on Friday the 13th, to finish that run and then go dark. We had just begun rehearsals for our Gala - more than 60 kids involved with this one - our only annual fundraiser - we had just held the audition workshop for Beauty and the Beast and auditions were scheduled and filled with more than 100 auditioners.  Gala will be the first thing we do when we open. Beauty and the Beast pushed into next season.

Personally, and as an actor, Theatre Artists Studio was scheduled to open Pound on Friday, March 13th.  We worked right up until the night before opening. And the decision not to open was made that night, on Thursday the 12th.  Hugely disappointing, but I didn't disagree with the decision.  I was in the midst of making the same call for Greasepaint.   It was the right thing to do.   Pound will go on when TAS is able to re open it's doors - such a great, timely piece of theatre and my role in this one - one of my favorites! Steven Mastroieni, Patti Suarez and David Heap are in the cast and Carol was directing.  It was such a great rehearsal process and we had been looking forward to this particular play for a year."

How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?

"First and most importantly, we are all healthy, so that is something to be grateful for, when everything else seems awful.  I am still working as well, so that, too, is something to remember to be positive about!  I don't know anyone who hasn't been impacted.    All of the artists and my friends, who work on project based income - they are hit hard economically.   My daughters had to return to AZ - one was working and living in NYC and the other preparing for her showcase in London and graduation in July from RWC.  For the first few weeks that's great, but it's hard to interrupt your life when it was just getting started and be forced to jog in place for weeks and then months.  And with your parents!    I feel badly for all of the young people who were literally just getting started with exciting things happening (HS Seniors, College Seniors), who now feel such uncertainty and anxiety about when or if they'll get those opportunities they were only steps away from taking.

I have a few friends here who have had the virus and recovered - but it was a tough illness.   I have other friends back east who are far more impacted than we are here, so I keep reminding myself of that - daily, sometimes hourly. 

My heart breaks for NYC (I'm sure it does for any Broadway and theatre fan as well)  and I have a ton of family in NE, PA and NJ who are much more impacted than we are.  Everyone should be watching and reading the news every day  - if only to remember how lucky we actually are. "

How has your daily routine changed?

"I'm alone a lot more. LOL.  But still working - just not the kind of workdays  I'm used to working, filled with people and kids everywhere!

What do you feel will be different when theater restarts?  When do you think that’ll happen?

"That's the million dollar question, right?   I've been sitting in zoom meetings with MTI, Concord, Dramatists and with NY and UK production groups, with community theatre groups, with technology companies offering livestream and tech solutions - all trying to figure out how the model changes - the model that is as old as humankind.  Gathering together to tell stories.  

The rights holders are speaking with authors - there seems to be a large consensus that streaming rights will be common in the fall, in place of live performances. But, until there is contractual language in place and solutions to how authors and rights holders get compensated for their work - the live-streaming is not quite ready yet for large scale use.   Broadcasting rights (which are very different) remain unavailable and non negotiable. I don't see that changing.

The Broadway folks seem. to be basically waiting to see first, what happens in NY, and second, what happens regionally as smaller houses - both professional and amateur re-open sooner.  

Do audiences return?  Do they perform longer runs with 1/3 capacity houses? smaller casts? 

Then there's the other questions....What about education?  University programs to summer camps? 

It's all going to depend on region I think- the impact of the virus locally.

I'm going to be reaching out to our audiences and families with a request for their input.  Waiting for Governor Ducey's announcement on state recommendations and guidelines.  As far as when? - The one thing I think is for sure is it won't be up and back where we were fast.  It's going to be incremental and careful, I think. I am really hopeful that here at least, we can begin sometime in the early summer!

Maureen Watson and Steven Mastroieni in Pound at Theatre Artists Studio
photo by Mark Gluckman

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

"Not enough!"

Any binge tv shows you’ve watched?

"Too much!  Ozark, Killing Eve, Fleabag - for the acting, the dark, dark humor and the stories.    Those I had started but now finished LOL

Bosch - because I liked the books

Jack Ryan - because I liked the books and I love Krasinski

Community - every day a few episodes because we need to laugh out loud at least once a day. I had never watched it so it's all new to me.

Deadwater Fell, Broadchurch, Good Omens - because David Tennant"

Any new hobbies you’ve taken on?

"Bought a new bike - ride every day to clear the head.  Of course, we hit 100 degrees a full month early. That's totally my fault... because I bought the dang bike LOL"

How has this experience changed you?

"I'm not 100% sure.  I think it remains to be seen- for all of us. "

What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to when the stay at home order is lifted?

"1. Kids getting their lives back

2. Walking into a  theatre full of people I know and admire - whether as an actor, as the AD or as an audience member - and that goes for SCP/ Greasepaint, The Studio, ATC, Stray Cat, Spotlight, DST, VYT, Brelby, etc.- ALL of them - all of US!!

3. Seeing shows again on Broadway and in the West End."