Confessions of an unemployed entertainer: I’m working harder then I ever did when I had a job

In the words of my hero, Sir Elton John, “I think it’s going to be a LONG, long time”.

This is what May 8th, 2020 was supposed to look like: I wake up in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Even though I had a show the night before, I get up early so I can explore as much of this city as possible in the 48 hours we’re there. For breakfast, I have my go-to omelette. I’m two months into this contract now, so the chef knows my order by heart. In a case of complete serendipity, one of my best friends from work was assigned the same contract, which is a life-saver when you’re on the road away from your friends and family for so much of the year. I don’t have any shows tonight, so we’re going to see the Russian ballet; we’ve been planning this night since mid-February. In just a couple weeks, my boyfriend will disembark the ship he is working on and we’ll finally get to reunite after 10 weeks apart. We’re both accustomed to life on the road. My birthday is May 31st. I’ll sign off from work the day before in Rotterdam and a group of friends from back home will join me in Amsterdam where we’ll be dumb American tourists for a week, and rely on my Dutch-speaking friends to get around. I thought about taking the rest of the summer off, but I definitely changed my mind by now. I’ll go home for a week before…