Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Allow yourself to be scared by all of this. But don’t retreat, if you don’t have to. Be innovative. Create art. Art will out. If you have time and energy, do it. We have some much privilege to take the time and be grateful for it…And yes, be grateful, but also be really aware of the inequality that this pandemic has pointed out.

“What advice would you give any aspiring artist during these crazy times?

Listening to artists you’ve admired or those whose work you’ve wanted to go down the proverbial rabbit hole provides a great education.”

To me, acting and story telling are very spiritual processes and experiences for the performers and the audiences. If anything we need these connections now more than ever. I am looking forward to seeing how the creative minds of the artistic community respond to the new challenges. I think the future is bright for the arts.

There are a lot of valuable takeaways from this experience. I think those takeaways can be applicable to everything: making records, being an actor, or just doing anything in your everyday life. Here are some of the things I learned so you don’t have to.

This is our chance to re-design how we work. We were overdue for a re-examination of our processes in the theatre; for instance: do we really need to rehearse 6 days a week? How about we start giving people a two-day weekend? And: what are the stories we want to tell once we can gather again? What are the stories we will need?

“Be creative.  Look to spots where your voice can be heard.  Think about what message or story YOU’D want to hear right now, and chances are someone else out there ALSO would want to hear that message/story, so MAKE IT!”

There is nothing like a live connection each of us feels as we sit in the theatre waiting for the performance to begin. There’s a powerful alchemy and magic at work which creates a wholeness for every patron present. Not only do these two elements each bring their own unique way of seeing the story come alive, but also we get to experience that same powerful magic work itself in others around us who are also seeing the story come alive for them.

““It is beyond my honor to introduce you to the amazing and talented Jouelle Roberson. I first came across this fantastic Soprano after coming across a video of her singing My Man's Gone Now from Porgy and Bess.

As an actor, you’re always going to ask, “Did I choose the right career path?” right until your dying day. I remember as a young actor how important it is to get yourself out there. I feel for the young actor just starting out. It’s so hard to trust but you have to just trust and get the work out there. The work will come to you. That’s what people will get excited about.

Some artists have taken to ZOOM for play readings and streaming live plays. But the theatre is about that two-way connection with what is happening on the stage to the audience breathing with us. You take that magic away, and you’re in the movies. Theatre and film/movies are two different beasts.

I want to see Centaur continue down the path we were building toward becoming the theatre for all Montrealers. This city has changed so much in the past 10 years. The old notion of two solitudes is being dissolved by a young generation of artists who speak at least 2 languages, come from a variety of backgrounds and who have a wide range of influences. It makes the work that comes from here completely unique…

It’s interesting to watch acting being forced into a little box [for streaming and You Tube presentations]and the way people navigate that. It’s challenging to do something different, but nothing will be a substitute for the live performance. Nothing can touch that shared, communal moment of being in that space at that time with strangers where magic has been created.

Online performances are great for now but I’m not certain they will have lasting power. If these types of experiences are going to be a large part of the future, then we’ll all need to better understand the technological requirements and the importance of quality electronics, software and hardware.

I bet that all of us at OnStage have that one friend who hates musicals. No matter how many cast recordings you make them listen to, no matter how many times you try to explain that "Sweeney Todd" and "Seussical" are as different as "The Sopranos" and "The Simpsons,” they won't listen. YouTube creator, writer and culture critic Lindsay Ellis has that friend. His name is Kaveh Taherian. That's the premise of their new podcast "Musicalsplaining," where each episode Taherian is tasked with watching a new musical. They've already tackled "Phantom Of The Opera," "Cats," "Hadestown," "Beetlejuice" and "Six." So far, he isn't swayed into musical fandom, but it does make a fun listen.

I think this is a wonderful opportunity to look at our desires, our dreams, our hopes for the future. What are they? Why are they? What is the purpose of theatre?…We get very caught up in careerism and gigging and jobbing and the like and we forget that we are a service industry.  This is a chance to ask ourselves what is the service we do?  In service of what? In service to whom?

I hope to welcome audiences back to the farm as soon as it is safe. I think we, at 4th Line, are ideally suited to do that earlier than some theatres because we are outdoors, and we can achieve social distancing without much fuss. I worry about the theatre’s fiscal viability, of course. But I know that when we started the theatre in 1992, we started small and very community based. And if we have to, we can go back to that simplicity.

I am doing a rewrite of ‘Whale Tale’, a children’s book I have written. I’m continuing to write my ‘Breaking into the Business’ book. It’s my take on what it takes to break into the acting business. I’ve continued my work outs which has been more about managing my workouts in our living room. I make sure to practice my on-camera skills each day. I read, watch TV, meditate, and find something to be thankful about every day.

Keep in touch with your community! Everyone’s going through this, it helps to hear from your peers! And make use of the time to check off any of those projects you can do or at least start at home - it’d be a lousy feeling to come out the other side and have nothing to show for it.

Personally, I’ve welcomed the time spent at home among my books and guitars and have been enjoying the time spent with the kids, but I’m aware that this has been a trying time for many. The most challenging part of this isolation period for me has been trying to take it one day at a time instead of trying to determine what the near future or distant future may hold in store.

“I would like you to meet Libby C. Nelson. Libby is a performer based in New York City and is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, pointe, theatre, and voice.”