Coaching one production in Ohio via zoom, coaching departmental productions both in person and via zoom, and my job as a theatre professor — predominantly in person but partially via zoom because we need to work without masks sometimes.

Union acting work is rare. Productions canceled that I was scheduled for — as actor in one and as coach in 8 (I think — maybe 9).

It will not be the same. I suspect that now that we know it works, a significant amount of auditioning will be done via video submission. I suspect there will never be non-equity cattle calls. I expect they will ask for video submissions. I also suspect they will not always look at them, which will likely make it difficult for some newcomers to break into the industry unless their headshot caught the attention of the casting agent. Auditioning for training programs will likely begin to involve a pre-screen video — that will take a while, but will probably happen eventually.

What this means:

Good headshots become even more important.
Video submission skills will have to be stronger.
Folks who look good on camera will be more competitive in BOTH screen AND stage.

More dialect coaching will be done virtually — it’s actually easier. This means it may become more prevalent in smaller markets, which have largely been unsupported.

I expect more new plays will be presented in zoom/virtual format, which means that more of them will be produced, though the viewing audience will likely not be large.

The success of the video version on Hamilton (and the demand for recorded Broadway and Regional theatrical productions that were digitally recorded) is going to create a demand for quality video productions of popular productions. If Hadestown and The Adams Family and other big sellers had done video recordings as Hamilton did and produced a quality digital product they would also be highly profitable right now.

The union battles are going to become more intense and eventually SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity will merge. (They will tell us it will save us money, but it will not. Just like when SAG and AFTRA merged.)

Making art is never easy. If it feeds your soul, do it regardless of whether anyone sees it. The healing properties of making art are not dependent on an audience. This is an opportunity to see whether you really loved your craft or whether you were perhaps just staying on a path that had become a rut.

We play people who are not actors. If you are working in a non-actor job, remember that this is how we learn what that type of life is like. As artists we often get isolated from the realities we are expected to embody.

Keep your skills up. If you don’t, you will lose jobs to the folks who are. Keep your physical training in place. It is harder to GET in shape than it is to STAY in shape. If you need your teeth fixed or want to grow your hair out or try it short, this is a good time to do that.