These recent times have been some of the hardest challenges we've faced and as a community, it hit us pretty hard. However during these difficult times, here at Pocket Size Theatre, we wanted to spread a little positivity and share some peoples experiences because we are all in this together. Each day we'll be speaking to our friends in the industry to share their experiences with you all so take a read and see how people are getting through these hard times.
Let's stick together, share the love and get through this as a community!
*Some information mentioned in this article may be out of date due to the progress of the current situation. Please keep that in mind when reading*
Frances Mayli McCann is currently in the UK touring production Les Miserables playing Eponine. Her other credits include Cynthia in the Priscilla Queen of the Desert (UK tour); The Soloist in Here Lies Love (National Theatre); Little Shop of Horrors (Sailsbury Theatre); I Dreamed a Dream (UK Tour); Kyah in Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (National Theatre, National Tour & Duke of York's Theatre); The Gentlewoman in Shakespeare’s Macbeth (National Theatre) and The Mistress in Evita (Regents Park Open Air Theatre).
On Monday 16th March 2020, The Society of London Theatre announced the closure of all Theatres in London. This followed suit with regional venues. Where were you when you found out and what was your initial reaction?
I was in Norwich on tour with Les Misérables. We were told after warm-up, around 6.30. It was such a bizarre feeling. It was my first day back at work after being off sick for the last week (looking back I might have even contracted the virus as I had some of the symptoms) I was so looking forward to getting back to work and felt great after warming up, only to be saddened with the news we were closing.
Can you tell us anything productive you’ve been doing?
In the first few weeks I started a YouTube channel covering duets with my fiancé Chris Chung who is also an actor. But as the weeks have went on, online classes and work has picked up so we haven’t had the time to learn new material. While this time is great for being productive it’s also really valuable to take time to recharge and rest.
