“Art is always changing. Art has to change so the shows we do at the Segal will reflect the time and the artists we want to work with. We’ll see what makes sense for us to keep doing or what doesn’t.”

“I miss watching other actors work or at work. I miss how a director works. I love Tech Week and I miss Tech Week. Some of us from Vancouver once a month will participate in Zoom calls and just to talk stuff. I miss the critical thought about the work.”

“Learn how you can be more useful to your employer. For goodness sake, focus on rehiring. I want people to think of me as a teddy bear with a great work ethic and a dependable person.”

“Learn to celebrate others' successes. I don't think the days of "is this contract actually going to happen?" are over yet. So, when anyone is able to safely bring a little bit of art into the world, that needs to be celebrated!”

“I am in awe of many of the younger artists I know who seem to have thrown themselves into creating art other than theatre - they're writing, making music, putting out content on line or in other interesting ways. Maybe it would be to take this time to "meet yourself" outside of your art.”

“Take care of yourself, take care of others, and do something creative. Keep your chin up! We’re all in this together. Do I sound like a bank commercial? I really, really mean it.”

“Community theatre is theatre. School plays are theatre. Theatre as a hobby is no less valuable than theatre as a calling (this idea was anathema to me until embarrassingly recently). Theatre schools make great, smart, engaged, justice-seeking, art-loving PEOPLE, regardless of whether they stay in the industry. So, I would tell a new graduate, if you want to pursue other skills right now, that is not a failure. Life is long.”

“I don’t know if I consider myself one capable of giving sage advice, but my chief offering would be to be kind to yourself. It’s an occupational hazard of being an artist that a massive amount of your time is not spent being an artist. It’s the work and trying to find the time to share the art.”

“My heart breaks for the whole community and all the communities. Nothing specific, but I think we need to remind ourselves that we’re doing okay. If we’re still here and we’re still showing up in the middle of this chaos, we’re doing okay. We are…Hang in there.”

“For artists, our own relationship with theatre will have changed. It can be tiring, exhausting. There are many positives about it, but within the professional theatrical community you can forget as a job what you loved about theatre, what’s special about it. I think there’s going to be a renewed sense of passion for theatre since we’re going to be away from it for a long time.”

“All of these opportunities working with students on the cusp of graduating into the unknown have been so valuable and inspiring as to what I’m getting from them rather than the other way around. I know that sounds cliched to say, but I’ve found these students to be so versatile and adaptable.”

“Ask yourselves what you want to do with this time, and remember there is no wrong answer. You can stay connected to your art, or you can decide to get a real estate license or become an architect. What feels right to you? If you have chosen to be in school, then work hard at your craft.”

“If there’s a definitive in this, it’s the fact we are all in this together. The enemy is no longer each other; I say that with condition as not everyone is on board with that. But I do feel what this brings home is that truly we are all in this together.”

“Don't be afraid to be patient. At the best of times in this industry, it's a trait we should all cultivate, but right now, it's even more important.”

“Be you. Love who you are and what makes you, you.”

“I hope we're moving towards a future where the idea of theater isn't only a place to deal only with societal problems and that problem is your race or religion.”

“Once there’s a safe vaccine in place, people will be craving to go back into the theatre. They will want to see something live. There’s a need for live story telling. I have to believe that.”

The advantage of graduating now during this pandemic is that there will be something new at the end of all this…The new theatre school graduates will be adapting to a whole new different world. Whatever the industry is, they will be the children of it

“This industry is all about persistency, resistance, proactivity, and patience. We are experiencing this at a heightened level right now and it is okay in this moment to breathe, refocus, and re-center.”

“You are not your career. Your value as an artist has nothing to do with your employment or your peers’ vision of success. Stay disciplined and joyful in your art and make every obstacle an opportunity for creativity.”