BWW Blog: The Phantom of the Pandemic

Never in a million years would I have expected my college experience to revolve around a global pandemic. I remember distinctly reading the email in my dorm room that we were being sent home for a few weeks. Weeks turned into months, and I finished off my first year of college from my childhood bedroom. Now I'm back at school, and the realization has hit me that I only have three and a half semesters left as a college student. Graduating college is terrifying for anyone, especially someone trying to work in an industry that's been shut down for so long with no clear timeline of reopening. I'm scared for my future, like many of my peers.

You can't deny the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our lives. It's absolutely insane. At the beginning of the whole thing, we all thought life would be back to normal quickly, and we could go on with our lives. Many months later, we're still wearing masks everywhere, staying 6 feet away from people, and working from home. So many businesses are closing, including Broadway. I remember back in March, when they announced Beetlejuice was closing for good. Then news came about Frozen, the Tony Awards, and so many other performances pushed back or cancelled. For a school project, I had to email a major theater organization. After sending my carefully-crafted inquiry, the automatic reply came through: the person I was contacting was on furlough. So many people are out of work. For a college student who wants to be a producer, it's terrifying.

The realization that as of right now, you can't get the job you've worked for all your life is really depressing. Everytime the reopening date for Broadway gets pushed back, you feel more and more helpless. So many people are losing their jobs. What does this mean for a student graduating soon? For crying out loud, you can't even be a waitress when restaurants are barely open!

So what now? Should I change my major? Should I drop out? Should I give up? It's so hard to keep hope that everything's going to be okay when the world feels like it's spinning in a new direction, but you have to know that you're going to be fine. Things work out, they always do! When Broadway is back, it's going to be better than ever, and we know it. Right now, all we can do is wear a mask, support our favorite artists, and keep pushing through. The sun'll come out tomorrow, even if that tomorrow isn't for a while.