Bread and Cameos — a year without income from Broadway stage
This combination of photos shows Broadway performer Max Kumangai making sourdough bread from his apartment in New York. The triple threat from the musical “Jagged Little Pill” has leaned into a fourth skill as the pandemic marches on: baking and selling his own sourdough. (Michael Lowney/Humpday Dough via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — With TV and film sets slowly gearing back up a year after COVID-19 hit, Broadway theaters are still shuttered with no end in sight.
That means people who make their living in live entertainment have had to be creative.
One bakes and sells sourdough, another candles. Out-of-work seamstresses are selling handmade jewelry and plush toys on Etsy, dancers are teaching classes online and actors are doing voiceover work, podcasts or selling video shout-outs on Cameo.
According to a new report from the New York State Comptroller, employment for New York City workers in the arts, entertainment and recreation sectors fell 66% during the pandemic.