Where Are They Now? We Check In With Broadway Workers, Now Off Broadway

Every year, as a set-up for the Tony Awards, we take you backstage to meet people who aren't even eligible. These are Broadway's essential workers – ushers, stage managers, costumers. But this year, the Tonys seem like a faraway dream; even though nominations for the shortened season were announced in October, no date has been set. So, I decided to check in with some of those essential workers I've interviewed before, to find out how they've been coping since theaters closed.

Back in 2017, stage manager Karyn Meek was calling cues for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. Last March, she was in South Bend, Ind., on tour with The Lion King when the pandemic shut everything down.

"I found myself in a place that was very unfamiliar to me," Meek says. "I've worked my entire life and, especially given what I do as a stage manager, I troubleshoot. I look ahead. I try to find the problems before they're there to solve them. And this is a problem that not only can I not solve — I can't even see what next week will be."