Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2021 - 9

the shutdown, she immediately went to
the St. James to get her tools " because
I didn't know how long. Was it going to
be a month? And I thought, 'If I want to
do any projects at home, I want my tools'
or if I need to... yeah, I don't know what
else I thought I was going to do. " Likely,
she thought another job might present itself,
not having processed the full extent
of the unprecedented shutdown. A New
York Post reporter approached her as she
threw her tools into the trunk of an Uber
and ask if she agreed with the producers'
decision. " I said it was absolutely the
right decision. We want our people to be
safe, and we thought it would blow over
if we just went home for a little while. "
The Post never published her reply, and
it didn't blow over. Broadway used the
Frozen loadout as a testing ground for
new safety protocols, with Disney using
the same epidemiologists they hired
to strategize the opening of their theme
parks.
Without exception during follow-up interviews,
technicians admitted the relief,
even elation, they felt when first hearing
the news of the shutdown. Makeup artist
Elizabeth Cohen has been with The Lion
King since its opening in 1997. " I literally
jumped for joy, " she said, then quickly
qualified " not for the situation that caused
this, it's horrible. It's just that I've been on
this hamster wheel for over 20 years, and
it's exhausting! The first month I just decompressed.
Eight shows a week, week
after week... It's relentless. And when
you are on a popular show, the producers
will add more shows during tourist
seasons so they can make more money.
Eight is already exhausting. Add another
and you're killing us. " Cohen returned to
The Lion King but the down time helped
her gain perspective on her intense work
schedule: " It's really inhumane, " she says.
" It's a great, fascinating, fun way to make
a living, but it's not healthy. "
Martin, the former head electrician
for Beautiful, heard about the shutdown
while working at Harry Potter and the
Cursed Child, a temporary substitute
position he took after his production had
closed in November 2019. " It's funny.
2020 was the year I was going to take a
break, bide my time, and see what came
along before going back to a show. " He
then added, sarcastically, " That turned
out not to be a problem. " For 25 years,
Martin hustled to find work, having
their work life to pandemic restrictions.
Once the summer heated up, Martin
took fewer walks and " the world was
getting smaller and smaller. The work
schedule that dictated everything in my
life was gone and now I was losing control.
I needed structure. I needed somebody
telling me to be at work tomorrow
morning. " In September, when television
production work restarted, Martin
reached out to union contacts and found
studio work in Brooklyn. The transition
Elizabeth Cohen a makeup artist for The Lion King. |
Image by Dennis Johnson and courtesy of Elizabeth
Cohen.
" I'VE BEEN ON
THIS HAMSTER
WHEEL FOR OVER
20 YEARS, AND
IT'S EXHAUSTING!
THE FIRST
MONTH I JUST
DECOMPRESSED. "
-Elizabeth Cohen, makeup artist
moved from Memphis to New York with
no initial industry connections, afraid to
turn down any new opportunity for fear
that his current job could be his last. The
first three months of the shutdown " was
the greatest thing that ever happened
to me, " he said. " I went for a walk every
day. I spent time with my dog. I had dinner
with my girlfriend every night. " But in
June, he began to struggle with inactivity
and isolation. Friends who lived in his
building were all working, either from
home or elsewhere. " I'd call up people to
chat, and they were like 'Sorry, can't talk,
I'm working.' Of course they were! It was
1:00 in the afternoon! And I was walking
my dog for the fourth hour. " Martin's
experience captures the frustration of
theatre professionals who, unlike some
other gig workers, were unable to adjust
from head electrician on Broadway to
" new guy " in television was " stressful, "
he admitted, and an " embarrassing " hit
to his ego. " It's been a long time since
I felt like I didn't know what I was doing.
When I walk into a theatre, nobody
asks, 'Do you know what you're doing?'
And here that happens every single day,
which is uncomfortable when you're 50
years old. " Martin's personal insights and
learned humility will make him a likely
ally to Broadway newcomers in the future,
more sensitive to the uncertainly
they experience in workspaces occupied
by veterans. Sadly, it might be a while before
he returns; he plans to stay with television
until a theatrical gig can guarantee
him six months of work.
Saxon, a dresser and wardrobe supervisor
with 30 years of Broadway experience,
has decided not to return to
Diana when it (hopefully) resumes performances
in November 2021. Diana's
cast and crew were performing previews
when they heard the news of the shutdown.
Saxon was exhausted, which at
the time she assumed was due to the
previous weeks of technical rehearsals.
She and her friend drove upstate to the
cottage they shared, and Saxon collapsed
into bed where she stayed for two weeks
sick with COVID-19. " It was everywhere!
Apparently, lots of cast members had it, "
she said, " but it's hard to know because
this was before testing was readily available. "
People had been hesitant to report
feeling sick: " It was like a secret in
the beginning and nobody wanted to
get blamed for spreading it. " Saxon remained
at the cottage for the duration
of the shutdown. " Financially it sucks, "
she says. " I've tapped into my annuity to
pay both mortgage and rent, because I'll
need my apartment when I return. But
it's been worth it. I've never been more
rested in my life. I live sober, and up here
I've connected with this incredible sober
FALL 2021 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 9
Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2021

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