Yeah, live theatre should be the last thing to return. We should miss it terribly, achingly, so we can rededicate ourselves to its value…Let’s get back to live people engaging our actual active imaginations. I want to do some beautiful skits in the rubble of lost potential.

“Be yourself. Learn from those around you. Focus on you, and don't compare yourself to others. Don't be afraid to take on a challenge. Do what you do because you love it.”

The one thing that I would like to be able to accomplish...wow…I like to be able to accomplish effecting somebody who is younger and who wants to be in the profession…It is so hard to break into this profession, and even if you do, to maintain and sustain a career in it.

“Auditions have always been an odd concept to me because they feel like the antithesis of what we’re often trying to do in theater -- it’s such a singularly focused process for an artform that is meant to be collaborative.”

I hope that when we get back to working, creating, and playing, we’re also going to slow down. And that, to me, means being able to take care of everyone who is in the room and be able to be present with everyone who is working on the project, everyone who has come together.

I am mostly missing seeing the community at live theatre performances, as well as dance and opera. The feeling of being with other people together in a theatre is impossible to replicate virtually.

“My favorite show would have to be Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. I’ve always loved theatre that was more experimental, or pushed the boundaries of what they could do, or what was not usually accepted onstage, and Great Comet did this masterfully.”

“Lately, I’ve been learning to appreciate and improve my own unique talents instead of trying to change them. It’s a challenge, and I’m still working on it, but it has changed the way I view the arts and it’s refueled my passion for theatre.”

“Be prepared for it all. Some of those no's may be the best thing to ever happen to you, And some of the yes jobs could feel like a prison.”

“My all-time favorite musical would have to be West Side Story. I have been watching the movie with my grandma since I was around 10, but I’ve been listening to the music with her for as long as I can remember. It also sparked my love for musical theater.”

Further, if the theatre industry is to survive and remain relevant, it must be reflective of the communities it serves on stage, off stage and in the audience. In the musical theatre, where my work is focused, more inclusiveness in storytelling will only make the work that much richer, powerful and desirable to all audiences.

“With the smaller class size comes more one-on-one time with professors and more training. I feel so grateful to have such amazing professors and to be given so many performance opportunities along the way.”

“We would throw out all the exclusive language we use. Dance auditions would welcome trans and non-binary performers in their language and execution. Using words like “exotic, and ethnic” would be replaced with what the creatives actually mean.”

“I just try to represent a good vibe. Even through tough times, I try to help the people closest to me more than I try to help myself.”

One of the things I learned and loved about the Toronto theatre community … was the power of supporting each other. They’re really good at that. I mean, hell, I was a stranger, essentially an interloping outsider welcomed and supported and ended up winning a Dora Award.

As much as I miss performing in front of a live audience, what I miss the most is the rehearsal space. It’s the place where you get to create art onto a blank canvas, explore your craft, tell stories, crack jokes and most importantly build a community… build a family.

More women in writing, directing, and at the artistic directorship level, please, so that we can explore the female stories later in life without it just being Grandma making something in the kitchen.

“For most of my life, I’ve thought the solution was: we need the predominantly able-bodied cisgender white males in power to point us to those doors that they’ve had access to for forever and show us how the locks work, how we can get a key made, where the hitches and squeaks are, and give us tips on how to walk through it without it caving in on us.”

“Surround yourself with people you trust. A good community is not to be understated".”