By the looks of things in the media and on the very streets I travel down, it appears that all is almost back to normal. “And we’re back?”
People are getting the vaccine, restaurants are full again (half capacity) and Target, Home Depot, and the malls are filling up. The only difference I can still see is the wearing of masks. Social distancing is perhaps not quite two meters anymore, so I guess that’s all good news, I think.
As far as auditions go, in the last 16 days, I have had eight EcoCast auditions for roles that include recurring characters on major shows and show strong supporting roles in major studio features. So, why am I still a bit gun shy about the prospects of returning to work and to a society that had to keep away from each other for over a year?
I guess my answer is a qualified, “I don’t know.” And what I mean when I say “I don’t know” is the fact that I don’t know who has gotten the vaccine and who hasn’t.
The major studios and independent production companies have all adopted the safety protocols that are currently enforced and created by the CDC and agreed upon by SAG-AFTRA. So, what is the problem?
The problem isn’t my fellow man, but myself. All this talk about returning to normalcy and with sports arenas, concert venues, and movie theatres opening up as I write this article, I want to go back to the cinema and live theatre. I want to have lunch meetings with fellow filmmakers and actors about current and future projects.
I enjoyed my temporary office locations, known as Starbucks, and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, working on the latest draft of the next big thing. But most of all, I really want to go back to work on set, on a sound stage, or location. I truly miss chatting with crew members as I grab a quick snack on the craft services table. In person rehearsals, movie premieres, film festivals and Q&As.
However, I do truly miss the old world where I could roam freely on movie lots after an audition and have a cup of tea at the canteen. But the old world I lived in was more or less, “The All About Me World” and the freedom I and others had. The new world in which I find myself is now the “US World.”
Yes, places are opening up and work opportunities are more and more abundant, but we will still wear masks and keep social distancing, where appropriate. We will still have Covid tests and maybe vaccination cards, but all of this is in the belief that we are all looking out for each other.