Waterlooville actress reveals joy of finding work after Covid shattered theatre industry

But when the curtain came down at theatres across the country thanks to coronavirus, the all-singing, all-dancing actress from Waterlooville was devastated.

After months of being unemployed, Gracie has found a new job as a games master which utilises her talented acting skills through an online escape room platform, allowing family and friends to play together from different parts of the country.

But 2020 was grim for the entertainment industry and the impact it has had is scarring.

Gracie, 31, says: ‘I remember in early March thinking we were likely to go into lockdown with a sense of dread but I did think it was the right thing to do at the time for the sake of everyone’s health.

‘But I could never have predicted the detriment it would have on the theatre industry.

‘As professional actors, rejection is part of the job and it is something we are all used to but when I was left without any work through no fault of my own and there was so little to audition for, it really was demoralising.

‘It really impacted my mental health not only from not being able to get any work, but missing performing. It is a real outlet for me to release and express myself and to suddenly have it taken away was a tough pill to swallow.’

Being on stage was Gracie’s dream since she was a little girl. Born and raised in Portsmouth, Gracie attended Northern Parade Infant and Junior School and then Mayfield Secondary School.

‘I then went on to South Downs College,’ she explains.

‘I spent some time auditioning for drama schools and got accepted into Performance Preparation Academy, Guildford.’

From there, Gracie has performed in a number of shows and regional pantomimes at Mercury Theatre, Colchester, and in Blackpool. She has also been a cast member of the touring show Footloose, Avenue Q and in the West End in The Comedy About a Bank Robbery.

‘There’s something really fun about pantomimes and the back and forth with the audience,’ says Gracie, smiling.

‘No two shows are the same because no two audiences are the same.’

Gracie has been an actress for six years and said she was luckily never unemployed for a long period of time.

She says: ‘When lockdown came in, I was working in a show called Sugarcoats at Vaults Festival in London.

‘Our show ended on March 15 luckily so we were able to perform but I know many people who had their shows cancelled.

‘My work stopped overnight. It was horrible.’

After the show in London, Gracie was planning on working at the Edinburgh Fringe which never went ahead.

After a few months with little work and despite receiving the government’s SEISS grant, Gracie was forced to move back home with her family in Waterlooville as she could no longer afford rent for her London flat.

‘I know so many of my friends are still unemployed or now work at supermarkets or are delivery drivers. They needed to find something,’ says Gracie.

‘We were all very on edge.

‘I quite naively thought things would get better in a couple of months.

‘The community is supportive of each other. Even if I am not in work, I am always glad to hear other people are. But it is difficult because we feel completely helpless.

‘We weren’t allowed to do what we were trained to do.

‘I put off looking at other jobs for a very long time as I just clung onto the hope theatres would reopen and we could return to what we love.

‘By summer, I’d normally be starting to get ready for panto season but that was looking less and less likely as the days went on

‘I think we all try to find the silver lining.’