How Chicago Actress Rachel Guth Is Protecting Her Mental Health In Quarantine

The American cities with the highest concentration of performers are New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. But like so many other people across various professions in the United States, actors have been self-quarantining at home for over a month.

As of April 25, there have been 17,303 cases of COVID-19 identified in Chicago residents.

So I caught up with fellow performer, Rachel Guth, on how she’s staying safe in Chicago, how she’s protecting her mental health in quarantine, and her concerns for the future of the theatre industry.

Read our conversation below.

Where are you currently spending your time in quarantine?

I’m in my apartment in Chicago. I live with my musical theatre writer boyfriend of over 5 years in a garden apartment, which has its ups and downs. The major down is that we have recently discovered we have some mice who have moved in, so we’ve had to deal with traps, pest control, and lots and lots of mice evidence. A mouse actually pooped on one of our mouse traps. Not great! But, I’m so lucky to have him here too, so we can help each other out.

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

COVID19 has really messed things up. I have a preexisting anxiety disorder that I manage pretty well with medication and therapy, as well general structure and order in my life. While my medication has stayed, everything else is up in the air. My therapist, who I love so much, recently was put on indefinite medical leave, so that’s out. Because of the mice, I don’t feel in control of our home, as pest control, our land lord, and little mice friends come in and out throughout the day and night. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty terrible. I’m trying to find relief through things that make me unabashedly happy. I'm FaceTiming my family almost daily, devouring silly historical romance novels, playing Animal Crossing, and watching Brooklyn 99 with my boyfriend. I also have to shout out my heating pad, which helps relieve back tension as I sit down constantly and have BAD posture.

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

Unfortunately, both my boyfriend and I have lost some big opportunities. His original musical was supposed to have a full world premiere production in Spring of next year, but that’s not happening because they’ve had to push their current shows indefinitely. They’ve done everything that can to reassure him that his show will still happen once this is over, but that timeline is super up in the air. As for me, I was contracted to start rehearsals for an Equity TYA show this past Monday. It was my first contract with this theater, and I was so excited! So far, things have been pushed to fall, so hopefully things will be able to start back up then. I’m not super optimistic, since the shows rely on school groups to function, but I’m trying to stay positive.

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

I am incredibly lucky in that I still have a data entry job that allows me to work from home. I found this position through a temp agency, and it was such a great fit that I have been hired full time, with flexibility for when the theatre world starts back up. My boyfriend also works at a law firm, and has been able to do that from home as well. Our dining room table has become our little office, and we count our lucky stars every day.

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

Neither of us have had to file for unemployment, thankfully.

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

I have a few big concerns. I’m worried about when the industry will actually be able to get back on its feet. Polls have shown that indoor gatherings like theatre, concerts, etc are likely to be the last to rebound, which makes sense to me! Why tempt things by crowding in a room with strangers?

I would be very surprised if anything happens until 2021, maybe even fall of that year. For a lot of small non-equity theatre companies in Chicago, a delay like that could be devastating, especially if they have spaces that they still need to pay rent on. I hope that theaters will be able to sustain their funds through government action, donations, and other creative fundraising tactics, but I worry.

I’m also intrigued and worried by what streaming will do to the industry. There is something to be said for streaming past productions, as an income stream as well as a bit of joy in our lives, but I wonder what that will do to live theatre. Will it be replacing the experience of going to a theater? It certainly is more accessible for folks, which is something that the theatre has struggled with. Will artists get paid for streaming of past shows? I’m sure Equity has something up their sleeve regarding that, but what about non-equity contracts?

These days, I have more questions than answers, which is NOT my norm. I think all we can do is hold tight to each other, remember why we love this wild industry, and ride this out as best we can.

Rachel Guth is an actor living and working in Chicago. Some credits include Anne in A Little Night Music (Boho Theatre), Teen Fiona/Peter Pan in Shrek (Marriott Theatre), Rose in the Chicago Premiere of Ghost Quartet (Black Button Eyes), and Hadley Breaker in The Incredible 6,000 Foot Ladder to Heaven (Chicago Musical Theatre Festival), which earned her the award for Best Leading Performance at CMTF. She has performed internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, including the Angel Award winning Atlantic: A Scottish Story. Rachel is a recent Northwestern graduate and is proudly repped by Shirley Hamilton. You can find more at rachelguth.com!