Murder on the Orient Express

I auditioned for Murder on the Orient Express earlier in the year. I was so excited to be cast as Mrs. Hubbard and to be working with one of my favorite directors, Jim Christian. As the time grew closer to start rehearsals Jim sent out an email that informed the cast that because of COVID protocols and restrictions within the Director's Union he would be unable to direct the show. Actor's Equity and other branches of the theater Union were still not up and running. Broadway was still closed down. Many actors living in NYC and LA moved back home to pursue other occupations or find jobs within theater. Some acting under the radar. Many were reported and had to drop out of projects. Others dropped from the Union so they could work. Jim was not willing to do that as a member of the Director's Union so Barta Heiner was hired to replace Jim about two weeks before we started rehearsals. 

We were under strict protocols to keep us safe. We had assigned seating at rehearsal. Everyone was spread 6 feet apart. It was hard to socialize, so we found ourselves not really bonding as a cast like you would normally do. We wore our masks consistently throughout the rehearsal process and were only allowed to take them off once we got closer to producer run. It was so strange to take the masks off and see each other. Many of us had not worked together before so we did not know what each other looked like. It threw us big time when we did our first run without masks. The connection was heightened though after we got over the initial shock of seeing each other's whole face. 

Every break we had to change casts (the show was double cast) we had to sanitize the props we had touched and spray down the surfaces we sat or laid on. When we were off stage we put our masks back on and again had to sit in our assigned seating. Despite all of the extra and necessary safety measures we managed to get the show on its feet. Producer preview went well and we started to find our stride as we moved into tech week.

We had an exciting tech week. The set, the props, sound, lighting and the costumes were impeccable. It was so fun to discover new things within the world the designers had created for us to play in. I couldn't wait for our audiences to see this fantastic production. 

We still had to wear our masks offstage and plan out our backstage track to be the same each night. So, I would wait in the wings for my first entrance, take off my mask and make sure that if I didn't exit the same side of the stage I entered on that I had another mask waiting. We had these ditty bags that were labeled with our names and we would keep our mask in the pocket of the ditty bag when we weren't using it. If I wasn't doing a quick change I went to my dressing room and waited for my next entrance. It was the same every night because if a case of COVID did pop up it made it easy to do contact tracing. 

How I would look every time I was offstage.

We played to smaller houses at first, but things started to pick up and our audiences grew as people felt more comfortable coming to the theater. Some people came BECAUSE we were social distancing the audience and required masks. Others stayed away from the theater until the mask mandate and social distancing was dropped. It has been a very polarizing and divisive time in our history. Everything seems to turn political nowadays. WE just want to work and perform for people. So, the cast and crew took things in stride and tried our best to do a great show and give 100% each performance. 

Against all odds we became bonded as a cast. They were a charming bunch and I will miss working with them. Mysteries are such a delight. The audience is so invested. I also enjoyed working with our director Barta Heiner and hope we get a chance to do that again. She is delightful. I felt that she was overwhelmed stepping in at first. Working with people she didn't cast and having to deal with the complexity and nuance of a mystery play. But, we all banded together and made this show something special.