NEW YORK, Ny. — With so many things closing down, many communities are struggling, including the Musical Theater and Broadway community.
With shows on hold during quarantine, a lot of performers are now out of a job, and some are scared about their careers.
"As young artists having just had major break-throughs in our careers in the past year, we share the disappointment and fear that this world pandemic threatens not only our personal careers, but the community we identify with and admire so greatly," said Maddie Rodrigue, a Baltimore native who is now living in New York City.
So she decided with all the disappointment and worrying she had to do something to spread a little joy... and combat her own boredom.
So Rodrigue and Trent Soyster, another performer, created a mini-production while quarantining as a tribute too "the beloved Broadway community," Rodrigue explained.
“We thought ‘well, if we can’t go to NYC and see a Broadway show, we might as well bring a taste of Broadway to you!’” said Soyster.
Before quarantining, Rodrigue was a Radio City Rockette in the 2019-2020 Christmas Spectacular, and Soyster was a featured performer in the Broadway National Tour production of Escape to Margaritaville.
They met at Pace University and now their next career move is trying to spread some happiness. In their video they designed everything from the sets, props, and costumes. They also directed, choreographed, and filmed their production.
"What started as a little project for fun, and to combat boredom, turned into a video that has sparked immense joy in our respective social circles, and now we want to use our platforms to send some love to the Broadway community we admire so much," explained Rodrigue.
