Local filmmaker discusses art and entertainment in a COVID-19 world
Jeff Monahan,聽a professional actor and screenwriter,聽 said everyone longs to share themselves -- if not as artists, then as witnesses as that act is also creative -- which is why he said movies, live theater and concerts will come back. Not because they can, but because they must come back as they are part of what makes us human.
Monahan
Jeff Monahan, a professional actor and screenwriter, said everyone longs to share themselves -- if not as artists, then as witnesses as that act is also creative -- which is why he said movies, live theater and concerts will come back. Not because they can, but because they must come back as they are part of what makes us human.
Even before the world experienced a pandemic that caused social distancing, face masks in public and the closure of businesses and ways of life, Jeff Monahan, a professional actor and screenwriter, said the traditional theatrical movie-going experience had overcome threats.
鈥淲e now have access to multiple streaming services, the monthly cost of each being less than a ticket to the cinema,鈥� Monahan said, adding that revenues from streaming services surpassed theatrical ticket sales last year for the first time in history, hitting $48 billion dollars. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e certainly staying home a lot and watching.鈥�
Monahan聽of Connellsville said televisions have huge screens and state-of-the-art sound systems, people can conveniently pause a movie and make popcorn that doesn鈥檛 cost $10 a bowl, there are no worries about traffic, parking or weather, cellphones are always within reach for viewings that perfectly fit in to schedules and even virtual reality devices offer a different realm of entertainment.
鈥淵et, with all of this at our disposal, none of it has kept us from going to the movies,鈥� he said. 鈥淪torytelling is as old as the caveman reliving his latest hunt for those round the fire, and we still long to share our experience with others. No amount of in-home convenience can take the place of that.鈥�
Monahan said theater is a communal art where a roomful of strangers gather from a brief, yet precious space of time to laugh at comedies, thrill to adventure, scream in fear or are touched by romance.
鈥淲e need art,鈥� he said, adding if you鈥檝e been sheltered in place for the past few months, you鈥檝e probably watched movies and television, read some books, did a craft, listened to music or designed a garden. 鈥淥ur clothes, our furniture, the clock ticking on the wall, have all been created to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Our souls crave other than the basest desires.鈥�
Monahan said everyone longs to share themselves 鈥� if not as artists, then as witnesses as that act is also creative 鈥� which is why he said movies, live theater and concerts will come back. Not because they can, but because they must come back as they are part of what makes us human.
鈥淲ill they be the same?鈥� Monahan said. 鈥淧robably not for a very long time. But to lose them forever would be unthinkable. We need the experience because we need each other.鈥�
He said during the time of social distancing, creating entertainment will be difficult. Live theater will suffer when only a percentage of seats can be filled, making it impossible to afford to produce shows; on film sets, masks can be worn by the crew, but not by actors.
Monahan said many shows have been postponed until they can be produced safely as unions like SAG/AFTRA and Actors Equity have created rules that need to be adhered to before cast and crews can return to work.
鈥淔or now, actors, writers, producers, directors, caterers, camera crews, sound crews, hair, make-up and wardrobe artists, carpenters, electricians, truck drivers and more will all be unemployed for a while,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut if any working groups have learned to survive the lean times, it蘑菇视频 those in the arts.鈥�
He said that even in the midst of a shared global pandemic, there are benefits to new creations and re-creations that provide the necessity for all people to find ways to experience art much like the human need for art continues to survive.
He noted that drive-in theaters are opening, bringing those together even though they鈥檙e parking farther apart.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 more than nostalgia that makes this a welcome place to spend some time,鈥� Monahan said. 鈥淕enerations who haven鈥檛 had the pleasure of watching movies under the stars can feel what it蘑菇视频 like to kick back and see a double feature, with a trip to the snack bar in between films.鈥�
He added that live outdoor theater is growing in popularity with smaller casts of actors, wider seating for the audience, all of them sharing the same event more safely. Web series episodes and short films are being made with smaller crews and minimal casts who are comfortable with each other, and even radio shows are coming back in the style of Orson Welles鈥� Mercury Theatre, but with actors separately recording their roles, Monahan said.
Art produces empathy, and artists are taking health and safety precautions to protect themselves and their fellow workers, he said, noting artists will always find ways to create and to get their work to the public. The public, in turn, will find ways to experience that work together.
鈥淪hakespeare said, 鈥榃isely and slow. They stumble that run fast鈥�,'鈥� Monahan said. 鈥淲e will get through this. Soon in person, always in spirit.鈥�
Monahan can be reached through his website, www.72ndstfilms.com.
His educational show, 鈥淎ctors On鈥�, will be released this summer.