I mentioned in my post yesterday that I would be talking to people in the entertainment industry about how they are managing now, why creativity is important and what they are doing to keep arts and culture available to us during this time.
Ben Adams, British singer, songwriter, producer, creator of Eugenius and member of band a1 , is the first to speak to us.
We are extremely grateful to Ben for taking the time when he is in the middle of organising the live streaming of Eugenius, which will be on Facebook tomorrow (Friday 20th March) at 7pm.
PP: What do you think the importance of creativity right now is and how do you think people use it to manage in times of crisis?
BA: It’s probably the best thing we can do to stay sane. The arts are created for people’s enjoyment, their own and others. As the world is a very scary place right now it’s the one medicine that is widely available and obtainable by anyone.
PP: What do you think it means to people to be able to watch contemporary theatre and arts and do you think art is a counter to the anxiety of this time?
BA: Eugenius being streamed is a great example of this. We have already seen hundreds of messages from people who have expressed how thankful they are that they have something to take their minds off the panic and scare of everyday life at the moment. That was the point of the show in the first place and there is never a time I can remember that that kind of escapism has been more needed.
PP: How do you make the most of your creativity and talents to cope in times of stress?
BA: I’ve always thrown myself into ‘work’. Being creative is all I know how to do so whether it’s songwriting, musicals, performance, I just keep doing what I know and hope it makes a difference to others.
PP: What do you think the impact is of not getting out and doing the things we enjoy like escaping into theatre, dance or music ?
BA: It’s awful. When I’m not touring I spend most of my time at home as that’s where my studio is, but it’s very different wanting to be at home vs being told you can’t leave…….
PP: What are you doing at the moment and how has it affected you, both in relation to work and personally?
We had to postpone the tour we were on as a1 plus a lot of dates we had in the diary for the rest of the year have been pulled or postponed.
As touring is the main source of income for artists nowadays it’s a daunting feeling to not know when we might be able to resume as normal. Personally, my girlfriend flew straight back from Norway when they were shutting down the air spaces so we are at home together which is nice. I’ve also been FaceTiming more with family and friends.
PP: What can the industry do right now for themselves, to support each other, and for the public?
BA: Watch Eugenius. On repeat. Donate to our charity partner acting for others
PP: Are you working on anything now for when this is all done?
BA: New a1 album, new musical writing in the works and plotting the Eugenius return to actual theatres……but it’s all tricky when the closures are indefinite. We shall see!
Thanks to Ben for speaking to us and please, donate to Acting for others
If you want to chat to us about what the affect is on you, whether you are an actor, singer, reviewer, avid theatre goer, director or anything else. Please let me know
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