Daniel Martin

actor

"My love for theater returned quickly. I was ready for it to come back."

Daniel Martin

Daniel flew to New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago to interview actors and ask how they were staying creative during the pandemic. Originally, he’d planned to take classes and see shows (Las Vegas was also on his original itinerary), but the pandemic had shuttered performing arts spaces and live shows. Like so many other artists, I was in a low place. I was isolated and didn’t know if live theater was ever going to be a thing again. Listening to stories of pain and triumph gave me a sense of togetherness.

The artists took Daniel around their cities and showed him the closed theaters and movie studios. But there were bright spots: In New York, he joined a Zoom call with a television actress and asked her questions. In L.A., a movie studio security guard gave him an unexpected solo tour. The guard was just happy to see a person in real life. Learning how things are made for props, seeing amazing costumes, and standing where famous actors have quoted their most memorable lines will be a memory that will last through the ages.

Before traveling the country, Daniel had felt physically, emotionally, and creatively defeated. He was questioning everything he knew to be true before the pandemic, including his love of the theater. I didn’t know if I was good enough, creative enough, smart enough to continue this path. Using that time to listen to stories and uplift one another helped me in ways I could never properly express.