Pandemics are scary, and scary things make us nervous. Add in the fact that pandemics are, by definition, scary, and pandemic-level scary things make us even more nervous. Pandemics cause social and economic upheaval that we can’t always plan for. Even when we have time to plan, pandemics can make even the most well-thought-out production schedules seem unpredictable. Pandemic planning is not a simple process. It involves working with experts to track and manage a pandemic threat. While pandemics are not every day, it is difficult to plan for them when a pandemic is not a foregone conclusion. Randy Douthit, a playwright, director, and producer for Broadway Bound Theatre Company, has adjusted his production schedule for a few different pandemics.
- Randy Douthit on Working Remotely, Judge Judy-Style
When Randy was working on a play in 2011, he was close to receiving an award for his work and decided that he wanted to attend the ceremony. He had been working remotely and did not want to travel back to New York from his home in Connecticut. The production team had discussed this and decided that they would be able to manage his attendance at the ceremony by using a judge Judy-style process. The judge Judy process involved Randy’s colleagues on the production team reading through the script, making notes, and sending them back to him via email. The judge Judy process worked well, but it required a lot of time which would have been better spent working on the play itself.
- Randy Douthit’s Early Days in Television
Randy Douthit began his career as a television writer and producer. While the process was exciting, he found it difficult to get paid for his work because it was so difficult for producers to predict who would watch a show. Randy said television is like a casino, and the producers are the house.