Before 2020, most people couldn’t say they had lived through a pandemic. Now, masks, social distancing, COVID tests, and quarantining have become sort of a “new normal” for the citizens of the world today. COVID definitely changed some things and for me, COVID changed my favorite hobby, acting.

I love everything about theater. I love rehearsals, meeting talented new people, the audition process, the rush of opening night, and even the long days of the dreaded tech week. This year though, I’ve had to adjust to a “new normal” on the stage. Never before have I had to wear masks on the stage or wonder if my show would get canceled. This has been a difficult transition for me. Before COVID, I would get to stay after school and hang out with students in different grades than me. Now I only get time to rehearse in class and I can only hang out with the kids who are in that class. One of my favorite things about theater used to be performing for my family, friends, and peers. I love bringing joy to people through my acting. COVID has made it hard for me to have that same joy because we aren’t having shows that are opened to the public.

Even though it’s been different, it hasn’t all been bad. I’ve been given the opportunity to have experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise. For example, this Christmas, I was in the radio version of It’s A Wonderful Life. I would never have gotten to experience radio theater if COVID wasn’t a thing. I’m also very grateful that I still get to act at all. Lots of people haven’t been given the opportunity to continue doing what they love because of COVID. I’ve been very fortunate because I’m still able to perform with no major changes. Theater is the way I express myself and I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t able to continue doing that. 

COVID might not be going away anytime soon but I have peace in knowing that I will still be able to do what I love even if it’s different.