Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1251534
sagaftra.org | Spring 2020 | SAG-AFTRA 52 I was on set for a production that still had about four days of shooting left. The producers that day gathered everyone in to talk about possible next steps, but within minutes, we were wrapped. The next day I went to a fitting for a pilot, but within 24 hours, production had shut down. It's been a lot for our local because we were really in a boom here. There were more productions in New England than there had ever been before, and then it was gone just like that. People are afraid that the work might not come back, and it's an uncomfortable feeling; it's frustrating. Right now, as local president, I have been doing outreach to members and letting them know they can ask for help. I've also been using Zoom for readings I do with other performers a few times a week and online classes through the YMCA, and I'm surprised that I work full-out even though no one can see me! I don't want to get out of this pandemic and feel like I didn't learn something new, so I'm thinking of getting friends together to make self-tapes and exchange them. I'm a pretty positive person, and one that's always going to search for the joy in things. I think the work of our leadership for the CARES Act has been phenomenal. Creative artists are a group that falls through the cracks, so the fact that unions all got together and demanded to be included, and leadership fought for us to be seen, means more than anything. Not only have they helped our members, but many other workers. I don't really know how the industry will change. I don't know what kind of risks I can take, but we shouldn't just think about ourselves and risk hurting other people. Everything is ever-evolving; I have no idea if there will be background or stand-in work and who will get to do it. The best-case scenario would be a vaccine or hiring people to keep sets clean, but I think people are going to be making their own films and productions and have actors filming themselves at home. Already we're seeing it happening, so that may play a more important role. — ANDREA LYMAN I had just finished shooting The Baker and the Beauty in Puerto Rico. We shot through earthquakes and all kinds of crazy things and then I came home to the coronavirus. I was supposed to work on One Day at a Time, and then it got pushed and then got pushed again. In the meantime, I'm doing things at home that have been ignored. I'm just trying to stay positive and stay safe, and do a lot of FaceTime with friends and family. And lots of cooking. My son is still in college in Florida. My sister, who lives five minutes from me, is pregnant, but we haven't been able to hang out. We're all just trying to abide by the quarantine rules and hoping that will help. My parents are over 70, living in New York where they have a restaurant that they had to shut down. I think what's helpful to remember at this point is how important each and every person is, and how we need to honor what each and every person does in our lives. The medical professionals, truck drivers, messengers, sanitation workers and people working at CVS — those are the real heroes. I can't imagine we're not all going to be changed forever. I think this is a wakeup call, and it's teaching us that we are responsible for each other. — LISA VIDAL