How This NYC Actress Is Finding A Healthy Balance During Quarantine

As of April 19, 2020, there have been 134,436 confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in more than 10,000 deaths in New York City alone.

With cases climbing, it’s a frightening time to be a performer living in the Big Apple.

So I caught up with fellow performer Juliana Chimenti, on where she’s staying safe in quarantine, how she found luck filing for unemployment, and why she’s staying hopeful in finding the balance between creativity and survival during this time.

Read our conversation below.

Where are you currently spending your time in quarantine?

I’m in Queens, NY with my whole family of 4 right now!

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

In the beginning, I pretended it wasn’t going to change my life that much. I thought this was only temporary and I’ll find ways and things to keep me busy in the meantime, because I am ALWAYS running around. The more it started to get scary and real, the pressure to get creative sunk in. After being in my home for over a month, I think I finally found a balance between being a person first and letting the artistry and inspiration follow. I’ve been cooking, doing yoga, and watching all of Tom Hanks’ movies, but I’ve also been learning new music and monologues, reading plays, and perfecting my self-tape studio. So for now, I’m doing pretty well.

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

Thankfully, no. My heart goes out to all of the projects that have been cancelled/postponed, and to all effected roles on the artistic spectrum.

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

Other than unemployment, I was very good at saving before the crisis, so I feel somewhat comfortable right now, but who knows how long it’ll last.

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

Yes, and I feel spoiled to say I got everything done within a 2 hour span. My restaurant closed probably a week before everything went crazy, so I didn’t deal with as much of the backlash.

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

My original concern was worrying about our audience members; when will people be comfortable enough to come back to the theatre? However, I recently attended a seminar with Weathervane Theatre’s Ethan Paulini, and he said something that gave me a sigh of relief that my worrisome mind forgot: there will ALWAYS be someone who wants to see a live performance whether you like it or not. Our community is strong, so I have nothing but optimism and patience from here on out.

Juliana Chimenti is a NY-based actress born and raised in Queens and a proud graduate of Montclair State University’s BFA Musical Theatre program. She has experience in swing work as well as stage combat training, all at the height of 4’11”! Some performance credits include Gilda (The Happy Elf) at The Argyle Theatre, Edwin Drood (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Crissy (Hair), Ilse (Spring Awakening), and Sue Snell (Carrie). In her spare time you’ll find her baking banana bread, petting other people’s dogs, doing yoga, or finding the best plate of nachos in Manhattan.