If you live in New York, then you know exactly how tough the last year has been. The city has been put through an impossibly difficult set of circumstances but we’re finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Although it is going to be a little while yet before the situation returns to any kind of normal, it finally seems like we have something to look forward to, and something to work towards. For those of us in the arts, it has sometimes been hard to find inspiration, let alone find a place where we can work. We stayed at home, we spent time with our families (either in person or over video calls), and we, well… we watched a lot of TV.
As we move forward into the new year, you might be ready to get back to work on your project. That sense of renewed optimism and energy should absolutely be capitalized on, so here are a few of the ways that you can create while making sure that you are staying safe.
Online Writers Workshops Open Up
Every writer has their own creative process, but one thing they all have in common is needing a place to work, and anyone who likes to be a little more sociable and collaborative will have found the last year a real struggle. However, while you’re waiting to be able to grab the sofas in the corner of the café with your friends and discuss story structure again, there are online options available. Writing workshops and masterclasses are an online staple but in the past they have often felt a little exclusive or, to put it another way, expensive. Thankfully, over the past year it has felt like the world of online writing discussion has opened up a little bit and you can feel comfortable and confident getting involved.
Stand Up Comedy Heads Online
We all needed a laugh during 2020, but we just had to look a little harder to find it. When the comedy clubs closed, the city’s comedians wondered what the next step was, and for a lot of people the answer to that was “online.” Zoom stand-up comedy gigs became the new norm for the bulk of last year. While there was an inevitable learning curve for a lot of people — improv doesn’t exactly thrive in an environment where you’re relying on your “yes and” partner’s terrible internet connection —‚, a lot of us began to see the opportunities and possibilities it provided. And, when the sunshine finally comes back, outdoor comedy events will resume, although those come with their own difficulties!
Recording Studios Stay Open
Safety has been at the top of everyone’s list of worries over the last 12 months, and it has often seemed like any excursion out of the house is a very bad idea. While it is certainly true that you should be staying as much as possible right now, the city will eventually start to open up again and in the meantime, you can do your research to make sure that the locations and resources you use are being as responsible as you are.
For musicians, much of the focus has been on whether or not live venues and concerts will be allowed to operate as before, but what about recording studios? Well, New Yorkers can rest assured that they can still book at these Queens recording studios via Pirate.com and know that they are following every COVID-19 guideline to ensure the safety of their customers — with a track and trace system, deep cleaning, and the provision of antibacterial spray and paper towels at every site. Their self-service model also means that you will be limiting the number of people you come into contact with on your visit.
Theatre Explores The New Space
Just like the comedy clubs, New York’s feted theatres have faced serious hardships in the last year. Closures put plans for theatrical runs on hold, and all Broadway shows, for example, have been postponed until at least May 30 (with most holding back until a tentative fall 2021 start date).
However, theatre finds a footing wherever there’s an audience, and if there’s one thing that the pandemic has done for the art form, it has pushed its creators to try new things. Now, for a lot of theatres that simply meant repackaging previously filmed shows as live events, but we also started to see some bold new interpretations of classics online, and new projects that embraced the strange intimacy of a filmed performance streamed directly to someone sitting at home. We’ve even seen plays that have incorporated Zoom calls into their plot, creating an intriguing new blend of film and theatre. For playwrights and actors, this is a time of uncertainty but it is also a time where they can try new things and create bold, brilliant experiments.
