In these extraordinary and uncertain times of COVID-19, with venues closed and live performance at a halt, NiteLife Exchange is reaching out and covering the effect the crisis is having on performing artists.
Actress and singer Ann Kittredge is a lifelong performing artist. She has performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at major venues across the country, working with top producers and directors throughout her extensive career. When she became a mother, she took a brief hiatus from performing to channel her undying theatrical passion into a new area: Performance Education. There, she found challenges and rewards to rival those of Broadway. She immersed herself in education advocacy, volunteer work and lending her voice to the voiceless. This included a seat on the Community Education Council. She directed childrens’ plays, mentored children in acting, singing and auditioning, and introduced an after-school drama program at a NYC Public High School.
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) asks Ann Kittredge (AK) Six Questions:
NLE: Do you have plans, like many others who perform, to begin some form of live-streaming or other online activity?
AK: Honestly, I’m undecided. What I want to do is clarify for myself how I can contribute somehow beyond just staying home (though that IS a huge contribution, and sometimes doing nothing is the most compassionate thing you can do). I think I’m a better entertainer in a live setting, so I’m not sure sharing old performances online actually serves anyone. My family came together and created a living room concert with the goal to do something as a family to benefit others. We haven’t shared it yet publicly though (just family and friends). I think right now we are sufficiently saturated with virtual performances to watch. If I believe there is a value to sharing it, or any performance online, I will do it in a second. Alex Rybeck and I had gone into a recording studio in February and we recorded a few songs; I shared one for the beginning of Spring from our Ahrens & Flaherty show, and I’m hoping to share the others once I have them Youtube ready.
NLE: You have children at home, a family. How has the isolation required during this crisis affected you? Your family, especially with regard to your performing life?
AK: To be completely frank, inside me, not far from the surface there is this mist of fear—like a low-grade fever, it doesn’t stop you from doing what you need to get done, but it’s there, and it is feeding my determination to view what we are experiencing individually and globally through a spiritual lens. As a result, I decided to allow myself to live in the uncomfortable place of not knowing. I am naturally a doer, a problem solver, so I have been resisting every instinct in my mind and body do what’s necessary to maintain the illusion of normalcy. This isn’t normal! Maybe it will become normal, but for now it isn’t, and I don’t know from one moment to the next what action will result in creating the most value. And one thing I’ve never been very good at is not knowing. I’m challenging myself to do better. I am a natural introvert, so being at home isn’t all that difficult for me. And I have an incredible family. Thankfully our children are 16 and 19; I can’t imagine what it’s like to have small children isolated at home. Both children are doing classes online, and my husband is working at home. I think the kids are bored, but we aren’t sick of each other—yet. Lol. Just wait. In the meantime, we are finding our private spaces and meeting up for family connections. And in this strange new reality, I’m finding small ways to hopefully contribute to other people’s state of being. I’m back to writing letters and mailing them! Like many of us, I have elderly family that I am responsible for and concerned about. Isolation has made me spend more time with them over the phone, no rush. It’s been lovely.
NLE: How do cope personally?
AK: I haven’t succeeded to quieting my mind, but I am disciplined enough to direct it to productive thoughts. My brain goes to, “What kind of memories can I create for us? What can I teach my kids about managing a situation like this? How can I help my neighbor with 3 children under the age of 8 who is a germ-a-phobe?” And that circles back to how to generate the most value. So, though I don’t have a plan for the future right now, I am gladly using my organization skills and spirituality to create as much lemonade as I can.
NLE: You’ve always been socially and politically aware. Will there be significant cultural change as a result of the pandemic?
AK: I think that we are witnessing a newfound world-wide appreciation of the incredible value and need for entertainment. Specifically, the number and variety of performers providing live performance clips and people clicking on live performance videos is a testament to the general population’s need for live art, even if virtual is the only option for now. It is essential. As things ease up, we need to harness this new consciousness to benefit communal theatre experiences.
NLE: Can you be more specific—in terms of a wider result?
AK: Yes, I think there could be a dramatic change if we do it right. Not just theatre, but museums, sports, and the like. I can’t imagine it’s going to just be going back to same old same old. We are adjusting to the conditions that are forcing change, and while change scares some, it invigorates others. I have complete confidence in the creative abilities of the human mind. It is going to be more than O.K.
NLE: What are the bright spots in your day?
AK: I really like my new wakeup time.
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