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.
Stephen Mosher is a photographer, reviewer, Cabaret Editor at Broadway World and strong cheerleader for our community.
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) asks Stephen Mosher (SM) Six Questions:
NLE: Was it your idea alone to begin the daily Mosher playlist?
SM: The Pandemic Playlist was my idea, but it was inspired by others with whom I work. When the social distancing started and all the entertainment venues began closing, my boss, Robert Diamond, and my supervisor, Alan Henry, expressed a wish for us all to continue to put out whatever content we could, so that Broadway World readers and the artists of the community could find some solace in a continued communication with one another. With no shows to review, I wondered what I could do to bring cabaret into the homes of our readers, and I know that my household relies on Youtube and the internet to stay up to date and informed on many things, especially which performers we want to follow. Many is the time that my husband and I have gone down the Youtube Watchhole, and even though it’s hard to get out, it’s fun while you’re down there.
NLE: How do you choose who’s on the playlist?
SM: I want to present a wide cross-section of artists, so I think back on the performers that I’ve seen on the cabaret stages and go in search of video footage of numbers that represent their aesthetic and their talent. I have an enormous list already that will take us into the future by a couple of weeks. I try to vary the degree of fame and experience, I like to match up acts that might relate to one another, and I want to show how varied the range is in the types of talent and styles of acts one can see in the cabaret rooms of New York City. I spend a good deal of each day searching artists by name and checking out their videos, and I’ve been really saddened by the fact that a number of our gifted performers are terribly under-represented online. During this confinement, I would urge many to focus on increasing their online visibility. When we get out of quarantine, everyone will need work and a presence, and the internet is where people will be looking for them, through Youtube and personal websites. Every artist needs to be easily located, if only to increase their industry.
NLE: What other ways are you utilizing BroadwayWorld to respond to the COVID-19 crisis?
SM: Many of the artists have had jobs canceled because of the nationwide Isolation, costing them much needed income. Many of these people live gig to gig and when those gigs stop, they are suddenly cut off, with nothing coming in. Many people are doing Live Streaming Living Room Concerts during which audiences watching can send them tips through Venmo, Paypal or other online services. Performers are the first ones asked, and the first ones to volunteer, when a benefit is being created to raise money for a cause – well they are a cause now and they need a platform. I am posting stories on Broadway World on an ongoing basis that list a schedule of Living Room Concerts – but I don’t know these events are happening unless people send me their schedules, so I have encouraged people to contact me directly at stephen@bwayworld.com with any information on their shows so that I can keep the articles and schedules coming.
NLE: What hidden or otherwise unrecognized opportunities do you think might emerge from the crisis?
SM: I think that live entertainment will develop innovative ways to monetize videos and live streams of shows in performance into a virtual theater community that will reach a wider audience the world over. We already have The National Theater putting films of their plays in cinemas. Imagine people who are housebound or income challenged still getting to experience that expensive Celine Dion concert in real-time? Or better yet, The Inheritance? Or Donna Murphy’s first-ever cabaret act on the first night, as it is happening? It could be pretty life-altering for some.
NLE: In what ways are you personally adjusting for the need to stay largely indoors/isolated?
SM: My personal adjustment has been relatively easy because, for years, ours has been a household of freelancers. My husband is an actor, and I work as a cabaret reporter and a health and fitness trainer. On days that there is no work to be done, we quite often do not leave home, because there is always work to do here – there is also an opportunity to rest when we need to, and we have learned that sleep is where good health starts. When social distancing began, when my students could no longer see me, when there were no shows to review, when Pat had no auditions to go on, we focused our attentions on what we could do from home. If we need fresh air, we go to the roof of the building. If I need to get out, I do so during cover of night, when the streets are empty. We take the quarantine extremely seriously and are abiding by all the advice the experts have put before us.
NLE: How do you keep centered and sane during this crisis?
SM: Pat and I do Transcendental Meditation, so twice a day we sit down together for a 20-minute meditation. We stay in touch with loved ones, we make sure that we are communicating with each other, and we do at-home workouts. We also work when there is work to be done and rest when our bodies tell us to.
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