When the Shelter In Place order was set, I had high hopes it would only be a few weeks. Within those few weeks, however, it became clear that we were going to be in this for a while. We surmised that our in-person summer plans would be impossible, so I started reading scripts we could potentially perform online. Ten Ways to Survive Life in a Quarantine was one of the first I read. As I read it, I realized I hadn’t laughed that hard since before the SIP began, and I knew I wanted to share it.
COVID-19 has taken so much from us. This play, however, reminded me of something important while I was reading it: nothing can take from us our creativity, and it is our creativity that will see us through to the other side of this crisis. I remembered, too, how vitally important it is to hold on to what brings us joy, especially when the world around us is in chaos. Right now, more than ever, we need to laugh.
Working with the actors and the creative team in this production has brought me tremendous joy. We talked from the beginning about this play being pure silliness and that they would each have to leap out of their comfort zones to make the huge choices these characters call for. Each of our actors has risen to that challenge in their own remarkable way, and although some of the characters in this play are what some might call a little “extra” the actors who portray them, like all of the actors I’ve had the pleasure of working with at PYT, are simply wonderful human beings.
Thank you for continuing to support live theatre by attending this performance. Thank you for showing up to share in the work of these marvelous actors. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work on this project, and even more grateful for the opportunity to share it with you.
Enjoy the show!
Loryn
