Florida Actress Anna Saunders da Costa Addresses Concerns For Theatre Industry Post COVID-19

Actors all across the country continue to face a non-existent job pool due to COVID-19 closures. With theaters shuttered, unemployment rising, and no end in site, the entire industry is struggling.

So I caught up with fellow performer, Anna Saunders da Costa, to learn how she’s spending her time in quarantine, how she’s staying sane, and how she anticipates the future of the theatre industry.

Read our conversation below.

Where are you currently spending your time in quarantine?

I live in Davenport, Florida, a neighboring city near Orlando. I have been quarantining with my husband and our roommates, a fellow couple.

How has the pandemic changed your way of life? How are you coping?

Life has been turned on its head, to say the least! I am what you call a sub or seasonal performer at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, respectively. This basically means I do not have set hours for work. I worked in retail until this past November when I was lucky enough to have a Holiday contract that allowed me to really focus on performing.

The goal this year was to dive into performing and make all my income by giving full availability to those performance jobs. When the parks announced they would be closing in mid-March, that idea was placed on an indefinite hold.

All things considered, I am coping pretty well. Something people don’t realize is when the articles came out about “all cast/team members getting paid” here in Central Florida, it unfortunately didn’t mean all. A lot of performers stopped getting paid before the official furlough due to not being full-time or part-time, and that’s been tough. Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort as companies along with Actor's Equity are doing as best they can to support us, so for that I am incredibly grateful.

I’m spending my time reading lots of books, journaling, taking workout and dance classes via Instagram Live and Zoom, working on setting up an office space for myself, attending Facebook Live sessions being hosted by other artists, and also trying to submit self-tapes wherever possible.

One of the biggest changes in my life is my husband is now at bootcamp to become a sailor for the United States Navy. He underwent a two week quarantine with other recruits before officially starting bootcamp. We aren't sure if we will be able to physically attend his graduation in eight weeks or if it will be live-streamed, and I don't know the next time I will see him in person. He is following a dream he has had for a long time, and I am proud to support him in this new endeavor, I just miss him a lot.

Did you lose any contracted performance work due to the pandemic?

Yes, I was due to start rehearsals with a show I do at Universal, but that has been put on hold for the time being.

Do you still have any other sources of income that are helping sustain you through this crisis?

I was recently hired to be an online ESL teacher for children in Beijing, so I will be utilizing that as much as I can. I know a lot of performer friends who have made online teaching their “survival” job outside of performing, as we use our training in acting and speech to really get the kids excited about learning English. There is also a good amount of flexibility in teaching, so when life starts back up again, I plan to continue teaching.

Have you had to file for unemployment? Have you had any success?

Yes, and it truly is still a work in progress to be quite honest. I spent the first few weeks I was out of work trying to get my claim even to the point of “pending”, but like so many other states, Florida’s unemployment site has been….dismal. The site recently had some changes made to it, so I have been able to finally get my claim in, but now I wait to see if it gets approved or not.

What are your biggest concerns with the theatre industry moving forward?

Theatre is a place where, hopefully, large groups gather to share in an experience. I’m worried it will be a slow roll to get where we would like to be: at capacity and full houses. Even though people are consuming the arts at an incredible rate right now through streaming film and TV online, reading books, putting together puzzles, listening to artists give live concerts, et cetera, I am worried many still don’t see us as vital.

People don’t realize how much they value our work until it’s not there anymore, or not easily attainable. I know as a community, we will come together and fight for each other, but I’m a little hesitant about the rest of the population.

Anna is currently living in Central Florida where she is a performer at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. She earned her B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Coastal Carolina University and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity. Follow her @da.costa121 / anna-saunders.com