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| Patrick Page |
Our series of "Quarantine" interviews, which focus on individuals involved in the Phoenix theatre community and their reaction to Arizona and other state's stay at home mandates, continues today with a special edition: a conversation with the cast of Southwest Shakespeare Company’s upcoming virtual performance of The Merchant of Venice, including Grammy winner, Tony nominee and Hadestown star Patrick Page; Irwin Appel, Chair of UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Theater and Dance; Debra Ann Byrd, Founder of Harlem Shakespeare Festival, Phoenix based actors Alison Campbell, Kyle Sorrell, Beau Heckman and John Way; Greg Whiteley, the creator/Producer/Director of “Cheer” and “Last Chance U,” and former Arizona Theatre Company Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein.
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.
For more information on Southwest Shakespeare Company's virtual reading of The Merchant of Venice on Saturday, May 23 at 6:30 pm, CLICK HERE
Patrick Page - (Antonio)
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
"My career on Broadway has been interrupted and possibly permanently changed. My wife’s beloved Uncle Joel died of Covid-19. Many friends hospitalized. Life has changed completely."
What do you feel will be different when theater restarts?
"Hopefully, we will be all the more grateful for our ability to gather together."
What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to when the stay at home order is lifted?
"There can be no answer to this as restrictions are lifted in phases. Theaters were the first to close and they will be the last to reopen. It is a long road back to 'normal.' "
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| Irwin Appel |
Irwin Appel - (Shylock - Director)
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
"I have three children including a high school senior and a college senior, and it has been heartbreaking to watch both not be able to complete their senior years with all the ceremony and friendships involved. As a professor, I feel deeply for all of our students in the same situation. Knowing that they have lost their sense of community with one another is very painful.
My other daughter was sick for a month, and I felt the torture of not being able to go to her. I actually thought I should drive 100 miles to where she is and just park outside her apartment, even if I could never go in! I’ve never experienced a helpless feeling quite like it. It turns out she tested negative twice for COVID-19, but she had all the symptoms, so I’m not sure whether the tests were accurate or not. I’m happy to say she is better now. "
What do you feel will be different when theater restarts?
"Many of us are not sure when audiences will feel comfortable again to congregate in large spaces. It may be a long time before people want to be in a venue together. Sporting events and concerts will incur this same uneasiness. However, I also believe there will be utter joy at resuming normal social lives again. And maybe people will appreciate being together with one another in new ways. Artists are resilient, and people all over the world are bursting to be creative right now. All of that creative energy has the potential to be really powerful and rejuvenating when things start up again."
How has this experience changed you?
"At first I was depressed, but then I began to view this as an opportunity. In fact, it was my participation in three Southwest Shakespeare readings that changed my outlook. I began to think about what was possible with this new hybrid medium of theater that was foisted on us. I’m also greatly excited about the global potential of this. Ironically, even though we are social distancing, global communication has never been more prevalent. I was a guest speaker on Shakespeare in classrooms in both Nanjing, China and Krakow, Poland, and I found the experiences profound. Plus no jet lag! Seriously, I am now looking for ways that the theater we create can reach and involve people all over the world. I hope that our upcoming Zoom production of Merchant of Venice will be an example of a show that is viewed all over the globe."
What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to now that the stay at home order has been lifted and some businesses start to reopen?
"Restaurants! I can’t wait to go have a good beer and a good meal somewhere, especially with my buddy Patrick Page! And every day, I think about all the people who are hurting right now with businesses that are not able to open. I also am really looking forward to seeing my students again and creating theater together in the same room!"
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| Debra Ann Byrd |
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
Debra Ann Boyd: "I had just begun a tour of my new solo show project, BECOMING OTHELLO: A Black Girl's Journey, when the coronavirus pandemic began to strike America. One of the first things to be closed and shut down was live theatre events. These extraordinary measures of ‘social distancing’ have impacted the work that I am able to do in and for the communities I serve, which in turn has caused me to have to deal with suspension, cancellation and/or postponement of my planned and scheduled shows. In March and April alone, my touring project was scheduled to play at four Shakespeare Companies including: Southwest Shakespeare Company (AZ), Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival (AZ), Naked Shakespeare (CA) and Shakespeare & Company (MA). These cancellations have caused me to lose much needed earned income that I would have used to help pay my share of my family’s household costs. With just this one project, I have lost over fifteen thousand dollars $15,000.00 for the months of March and April. "
How has this experience changed you?
"The future is uncertain, as I don’t know when I’ll be able to rebook and resume my tour. This saddens me, to say the least. At least for now, I am hold up safe in Arizona with a loving caring family. This means the world to me. It reminds me that, come what may, I am blessed indeed!"
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| David Ira Goldstein |
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
"Michele and I have been spending so much more time together because neither of us has to go away from home to work. That has been a great blessing. Michele records her radio shows for KJZZ in a closet studio she set up at home. I have also been home much more, which has been nirvana for my pets.
It has also given me so much more time to consume TV shows and YouTube content, which I rarely had time to do when I was working at Arizona Theatre Company, and I have been astounded at the quality and range of what is on offer. Having the time to watch a complete recording of Brecht’s Berliner Ensemble production of Mother Courage from the 50’s...well, that’s heaven to me. And, of course, I have had a blast playing with Southwest Shakespeare and getting to play small roles in Henry V, Richard III and Merchant. "
What do you feel will be different when theater restarts?
"It will take a while, at least a year, for our guests to feel comfortable. I fear that in the early stages, the audience will be sitting there clutching the armrests afraid to simply breathe and enjoy. And if someone has a bad cough? Oh my...! The theatre event is so closely tied to the communal experience of sharing space. That’s going to be altered in some way, at least for awhile. It will be a different vibe.
In terms of the work, I hope it doesn’t mean a return to only small unchallenging plays. Risk is expensive and the financial circumstances when theaters open will be fraught. The larger theaters, the ATC’s, the Phoenix Theatre’s, the Gammages should come through fine. They have resources. Theaters don’t spend much when they aren’t producing, so if they don’t rush back, they should persevere. And smaller theaters should be agile enough to come back strong. It’s the mid-sized groups I worry about most. "
What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to when the stay at home order is lifted?
"Jazz! Michele and I love to attend jazz concerts, but most of them take place in crowded environments like the wonderful Nash. We’re hoping to see the great Gregory Porter’s concert at Scottsdale Center on September 25 - but we are doubtful things will normalize that soon. "
Alison Campbell
(Nerissa)
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| Alison Campbell |
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
"Personally, it has never been more clear to me about what I love until now. I love being in the presence of my family, friends, and fellow peers. I love engaging with humanity on an intimate level and I think that the theatre creates that community. When the opportunity to engage with our fellows got taken away, it became more clear to me than ever that we need each other. We need to be able to look each other in the eyes, face to face, and have real connection -- not virtual connection -- real connection. Not being able to have access to that has been heartbreaking. "
What do you feel will be different when theater restarts?
"My hope is that when theatre restarts, artists and audiences alike will be renewed and eager to share with each other. My hope is that the necessity of theatre will have been made more apparent than ever before and we celebrate that. My hope is that we will all miss it enough to recognize how vital it is to come together and that we will bring with us a new depth to what stories we tell and how we tell them. I will also say that I imagine the 4th wall might need to be obliterated for a moment -- just so we can really see each other again and I look so forward to that. "
How has this experience changed you?
"This experience hasn't necessarily changed me but rather, reminded me of what matters. I think it is safe to say that we, as a society, were moving so fast before this, that we never really had time to catch up or nurture ourselves. This season has caused us all to have to slow way down. But no matter what season of life you are in, it is so important to slow down, take time to be still with yourself, and tell your people you love them. Those seem like really simple things but they are easily brushed over, and the cost of brushing over them is too great. Call your mother! Or Father or sister or friend or whoever is on your mind! "
What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to now that the stay at home order has been lifted and some businesses start to reopen?
"I am so looking forward to being in the theatre again -- on stage and off! I smile just thinking about it! The theatre has always felt like a home to me. I know it is going to be an emotional and beautiful release for us all. And going to my favorite bakery and having some macarons. And sticking my toes in the ocean. "
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| Kyle Sorrell |
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
"The worst part is seeing friends get sick or experience the pain of losing a loved one to the disease. As an actor and musician, I've had too many cancelled gigs to count, but summer is usually a slower part of the year for me anyhow so I am trying to count my blessings instead and focus on re-grouping, relaxing, and collaborating virtually. "
What do you feel will be different when theater restarts?
"Theatre is about connection between humans. It is a communal activity that reminds us of the enormous emotional and spiritual impact we have on each other's lives. I think when we re-open our audiences will be leaning forward like never before and there will be a deeper appreciation of the entire exchange. We may even welcome a pairing down of spectacle and a greater focus on poetry and interpersonal interactions between characters.
No writer captures the profound nature of human connection like Shakespeare and the importance of staying connected has not been lost on the Southwest Shakespeare Company. Their weekly on line readings, by renowned artists spanning the continent, have been a life line to so many during these times."
What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to now that the stay at home order has been lifted and some businesses start to reopen?
"This week marks the one year anniversary of our production of Once at The Phoenix Theatre Company. The show was cathartic for many because the story offers a unique glimpse into the hearts of the musician characters. We cancelled our St. Patrick's day cast reunion just as the world began shutting down and many of us have been making music together remotely - but when science tells us it's okay to gather in large groups again I know we will relish the chance to have a great big jam session to celebrate!"
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| Beau Heckman |
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
"Personally, I work entirely in the theater. When not on stage I am working on the tech side. Everything stopped and there was no more work. No jobs."
What do you feel will be different when theater restarts?
"I can only speculate, but I imagine that it will impact what size audience you can have, and how you use social distancing to group them. It may also be that there are smaller cast shows , instead of larger productions. Sadly some companies may not be able to come back at all."
How has this experience changed you?
"Amongst great and devastating tragedies, I have seen so many brave, brilliant, resourceful and creative responses to this pandemic. It is inspirational."
What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to when the stay at home order is lifted?
"Working, traveling, living life!"
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| John Way |
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
"I was in Arizona for the premier of the film SWEET SUNSHINE and suddenly found myself stranded and not be able to return to NYC. The movie run in the theaters was cut short. I was set to return to NYC to film an Amazon Original movie the next week and of course that was put on hold. That was the downside, but on the upside I have been part of a number of virtual performances with Southwest Shakespeare Company. It has been great to connect with actors from all over the country. It's really been inspiring to watch the quality of the performances strengthen over time. And the streaming of SWEET SUNSHINE has gone really well as people having nothing else to watch!."
What is the one thing you’re most looking forward to when the stay at home order is lifted?
"In and Out Burger, Jujitsu classes and seeing my friends back in NYC!"
How have you been personally impacted by our current situation?
"I’ve spent a lot more time with my wife and daughter at home. Other than two friends who contracted the virus but appear to be recovering, I’ve been spared the heart ache of losing someone close to me. "
How has this experience changed you?
"While I’m excited to begin filming again I hope to spend more quality time at home. This break has reminded me how much fun my wife and kids are."
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