What Performers Should Be Doing During the Pandemic
With live performances on hold for the foreseeable future, you may be feeling unsure both about the future and how you should be spending your time during the shutdown. Here are some things performers can be doing during the pandemic to ensure you’re ready when the stages reopen and the cameras start rolling.
Learn New Material
Whether it’s a monologue, a script for a TV show or commercial, a new song or dance routine, now is the perfect time to learn and practice it. Once you know the material, record yourself performing it as if you were at a live audition, then review it, critique yourself, and make any necessary improvements.
Make Sure You Look Good on Paper
Your talent resume is often the first thing a scout or agent sees and the main thing they have to remember you by after your audition is over. Unfortunately, it’s often the easiest to overlook because you are focused on your actual performances. Spend some time updating your resume, both the way it looks and the content it contains, and ask a few people to review it for missing information, grammatical errors, and typos.
Update other printed items, such as casting profiles, photos and headshots, and marketing materials, to ensure they reflect your current look, measurements, and experience.
Increase Your Knowledge During Pandemic
Performers aren’t the only ones who aren’t able to do what they love in person. Coaches and trainers have found themselves working in the virtual world too and are offering online classes and coaching sessions until it’s safe to teach in person again. Take advantage of this knowledge from the comfort of your own home and put it to use once you return to the stage or camera.
Stay Top-of-Mind
Now is the perfect time to thank your industry contacts for everything they’ve done in the past and tell them you are looking forward to working with them when things get back to normal. Emails and texts are a convenient way to stay in touch, but picking up the phone making a call is more personal and can make a longer lasting impression.
Having a social media presence is also a great way to get noticed. Many agencies look at the number of followers a person has, and some even scout new talent through social channels. If you don’t have one already, create a professional social media profile. If you do, review it to make sure it reflects your values and positivity.
Do a Little Housecleaning
A lot of people are using their extra downtime to clean out their cupboards or closets, and you can be doing the same. Look through your performance wardrobe to determine what you will wear again and what needs to be donated. Send anything that wasn’t cleaned after its last wearing to the cleaners and have any repairs or alterations done so your outfits are ready to go when you need them.
Stay Healthy
In addition to whatever measures you feel you need to take to stay safe, be sure you are taking care of your overall health. It’s pretty easy right now to feel like you deserve to eat or drink whatever you want and let yourself go, but it’s best to resist that urge and continue to live a healthy life. Staying physically active, eating a well-balanced diet, and drinking lots of water will ensure your body is ready to perform at peak levels and you look your best when auditions start up again.
Speaking of looking your best, now is also the perfect time to try out new skincare regimens and makeup since you aren’t currently onstage or in front of a camera. You may discover a whole new look for your next audition.
It’s okay to not be busy rehearsing, updating, learning, or working out every second. Use some of this downtime to reflect on your professional goals and write down what you need to do to achieve them. Then spend some time relaxing and doing something you enjoy, because your mind needs to stay healthy too.
This time in our lives has not been ideal, but you can make the most of it by continuing to work toward your professional goals and preparing for your next performance, whenever it may happen.