The Washington Post: Theaters are accustomed to weathering the storms of critical and audience response, especially when they are unveiling new work. But the coronavirus pandemic introduced an entirely novel variable to the arduous and sometimes heartbreaking process of creation. Among the many dozens of productions that had to be canceled when the pandemic forced a shutdown of live theater in March 2020 are some that have not made it back to the stage.
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Creating a new work is undoubtedly a huge investment, emotionally, financially, and in all other aspects of the word. This motivates the huge amount of labor that is needed for a great work, and definitely makes it all worth it, but this act of bravery should not be overlooked. To me it should be heartbreaking at times, because that shows that there was heart put into it. I resonate deeply with this story, and feel deeply for the artists involved. As this article surges, it is one thing if a production faces obstacles because of challenges that you can rationalize with, or even ones that you could have avoided. But the pandemic raised an exceptionally unique and challenging scenario because there is no ensurity to any of it, time frame, lasting impact, and there is no one to blame. That can make it difficult to cope with, and hard to persevere through because of the loss of momentum.
It is so sad to see another tragedy add fuel to the difficult industry of theatre. It’s genuinely so sad that the market is so saturated that new pieces of art have to fight tooth and nail to get marginal recognition in the theatre world. I experienced covid’s impact on my senior design show and I was devastated in the wake of it, so I can only imagine how creatives who poured their time, money, heart, and soul into a project felt as they were forced to close their doors for the last time before even opening. I think the idea of the entire company of new playwrights having to give up on their dreams. It’s so terrifying to put in your work and know that your career is on the line. I think it is so amazing that shows like Six had the ability to re-open after the pandemic, but it is so sad that not every show has that privilege.
This is just heartbreaking. It is always a tragedy when a piece of work you have put years of effort into doesn’t make it to the end, but especially in the case of a new musical it is so sad. THe process of creating a new musical draws in flocks upon flocks of artists to even get it to its first rehearsal, there are lyricists and book writers, and composers, as well as a team of musicians, a rotating group of perhaps hundreds of actors that have read the piece in workshops, and a collection of designers working with the piece in a multitude of spaces they must adapt to. I hope for the sake of this piece and all the others that were shut down by the virus, that a second chance comes around so that the world can hear the music these teams have made in the years before covid shut them down.
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