Trevor Perry
@musicklygifted
-Theatre-
Trevor lives in a studio apartment in midtown maybe 2 miles from where I lived in a studio apartment in midtown. As I walked up to the call box, Trevor hollered at me from his balcony directly overhead and gave me a good scare as he came down to fetch me.
Trevor’s apartment with partner Nick is adorable. Plush fabrics, beautiful colors. We headed out to the balcony to overlook the grassed-in pool for our talk.
Interviewed 5.23.20
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Casey: So first and foremost, how are you?
Trevor: I am actually doing very well. I'm fortunate enough to have worked for a company, like a newer restaurant that's in this established restaurant group, Wonder Kid, and they kind of saw where this was heading.
Cause business started to die off as the coronavirus stuff got worse. So they got rid of all the nonessential, like laid off all nonessential people first, and then they called us in for a big work meeting and told us that they were going to probably lay us all off depending on the shelter in place and whatever happened. So we all got laid off. We all still have our jobs, but they are filing unemployment for us. They've been doing that since I guess a week before everything kind of shut down. So I've been well taken care of by unemployment for about, what, five, seven, eight weeks? So I'm doing very well.
Casey: Yeah! But like, emotionally?
Trevor: Emotionally, I haven't really felt any adverse effects from this other than being here. I feel like I was long overdue for a break anyway, because, you know, in the theatre scene you're like, go, go, go, go, go, audition, audition, work, work, work. Just because, you know, we're trained to feel like downtime is not downtime. So it's actually been really wonderful for me to be able to recenter myself. I've been reading some acting books and I feel okay.
I also got my anti-depressants, so we're pretty good. But I haven't really felt any depression or anything, you know. I mean, it hasn't hit me in a negative way, really. It's been really great to spend this time with Nick and kind of like really connect with him, or reconnect with him because our schedules were very opposite. I work days and I had plays, and he works usually at night, because usually he's a manager at a Pottery Barn Kids. But now since the mall is closed down or whatever, he has had a part time job at Cafe Intermezzo and he's over there in the evenings. So he's been working like four or five days a week.
Casey: But you're still seeing him more than you were before.
Trevor: Oh, yeah. We got to spend like two and a half glorious months together. I mean, look at our apartment. We've got some nice stuff in this apartment. We've spent a lot of time together. So if anything, it really taught us how to reconnect. Like, really good. It takes a lot to live in a studio with two people. But I'm glad he's here because I don't know what I would have done without him. That's probably why also I don't feel upset our really depressed or down. It's because I've had someone with me.
Casey: So what have you been working on in quarantine? What have you been doing?
Trevor: I've played a lot of video games.I also did a couple of like digital cabarets, which like, it's great because I'm like, "Oh, I took some acting for the camera classes because it's been a while and stuff.” That's a skill that I didn't necessarily have so I've been working on that. I did that little Zoom musical with Haddon Kime, and Rhyn, and Googgie, and Minka. So just keeping myself busy with small theater projects. I was helping someone with their virtual musical, like singing. I'm writing a show with Ben Thorpe and Abby Holland, a musical. So that's happening. Just little small creative projects here and there.
Casey: It sounds like you're able to create in this time? What's motivating you to create?
Trevor: I guess it's just more having time for myself to take care of me. Whereas before, usually when you do theater in town or whatever and you're performing, you're not really creating art for yourself. You're just churning. You're just a product, and you're just churning out stuff for other theaters. So you work in the art for other people. Often times in theater, you don't have the luxury of doing the things that you want to do. You know what I mean?
Casey: Always. Yes, I know what you mean.
Trevor: It's very rarely do we get to do theater projects that are something that you want to do, especially like I get tired of playing a sassy gay friend in everything, but, you know, whatever it takes to get in the door. That's why we're writing the new show with Ben and Abby, because what a great time to refocus on what I need and what I want as opposed to fulfilling other people's needs.
Casey: That's excellent. Do you have a better or worse or different work-life balance now?
Trevor: I feel like it's off-balance work-life, because I'm not working. But also, I know my mental state has never been better because I honestly hate waiting tables. I hate my day job, but at the same time, I'm glad I had it for times like this, that I'm being taken care of and whatnot. I feel very free, and very like, open, and very like, "Man, I've been really neglecting myself". And that really pointed that out. Not just myself, my relationships, just trying to fulfill a bottom line for someone else. So this is giving me the opportunity of that time to refocus, but I can tell you going forward, I will not be putting my day job over, or theater per say, over my personal care like I have been doing.
Casey: Are there any other ways that you plan on taking this really great mental state into post quarantine? Because it sounds like you're doing pretty okay.
Trevor: I think having strong boundaries and asserting them is key. I don't have to take every theater job that comes my way. I am really tired of working for free. I think I'm at a place now where people know who I am enough that I can be selective about projects. That's one thing. You're familiar with how I like my hustle. I mean, sure, I'll do Head Over Heels and a musical festival at the same time. I'm used to doing two or three projects at once. Going forward, there would be no more of that. Even before the quarantine, I think I was kind of heading there.
Also, I'm not about working a toxic job anymore. I used to work at like Little Five Corner Tavern. Terrible. It was a very toxic workplace and that really weighed on me mentally. And the place before that was really toxic and weighed on me mentally. And so I was like, I feel like a Wonder Kid. I got a great balance of cool people. People who were excited to see me when I come into work. People who are joyous, who are happy, not necessarily happy, but happy to be in good company at work, you know. So that's a positive thing. You know, I hope we don't get shut down a second time because that would really suck. I just think what's the theater scene going to be like? You know what I mean?
Casey: I've no idea.
Trevor: It's even changed the way that we're going to greet people from here on out because my first impulse to be like "hi!" and hug, but I'm like, I see you. So I don't know. I'm just going to really just try to be focused and be really assertive with my boundaries.
Casey: Does the idea of not being able to greet people the way you used to, fact that theater won't be the same, probably ever, does that worry you at all? Does that scare you?
Trevor: No. I think in a way, I think it's going to be a really, really wonderful thing. Because it's going to really force us to be more aware of each other, like emotionally, spiritually, and not just in a physical way, like a tangible way. It used to be like, "hey girl!" and just move on with your life. Now, you're going to actually have to connect, make eye contact, talk to somebody. As opposed to, you know, sometimes hugs or handshakes or whatever, can be disingenuous.
I feel like in a way, like when this is over and we all get back together, we're really going to cherish those interactions with people. I feel like theater is gonna bounce right back. I mean it always, always does. How easy is it going to be for us now to access those emotions of loneliness or longing or whatever? I feel heightened. So that's good. Maybe this will also give people some time to be like, "Man, do we need to do Oklahoma again? Or Matilda?" How many Matildas have gone on in Atlanta? Like, shit.
Casey: Looking back on this 50 years from now, what do you think you'll have taken away from this?
Trevor: I think that this was a much needed break for everyone. I'm not saying the deaths or anything like that, but I'm just saying what a wonderful way to teach us all to slow down and reconnect with family. Even messaging people that I haven't spoken to in years because we're not really doing anything. Then there's the scare of what if you go out and you get the virus? I could lose you.
Just really teaching people to reconnect. People are home with their parents. I see all these vines and videos of my friends at home with their families. If anything positive comes out of this, we have that time reconnecting with lovers, and family, and parents, friends, even though digitally, still reconnecting with them in that way is probably the best thing to come of this. That's probably what I'll remember years from now.
