Jeanna de Waal has already forgotten the movie “Diana”.

The producers always promised that the series would arrive on Broadway after the pandemic. But they had no idea what that would mean. “I remember the phrase ‘straightening the curve,'” Ashley said, referring to the city’s lockdown on the coronavirus. “It simply came to our notice then. “The possibility that it would be 600 days before we returned to production on Broadway – that was something we did not plan.”

As the days went by without pay, the cast and crew had to find other sources of income. For de Waal, this came from running Broadway weekends at home, a remote version of the musical theater camp she co-founded with her sister, Danny, a former Google actor. Hundreds of people registered during the pandemic, paying a subscription to be taught by Broadway and West End artists.

Born in Germany and raised in England, de Waal has always been obsessed with musical theater. “I became a fanatic,” he said. “For birthdays and Christmas, I would ask for a CD with original cast recordings.” After graduating from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, he got a job at the “We Will Rock You” ensemble in the West End. “It was a baptism of fire,” he said. “I have never done any microphone technique work. Do you know that old thing where singers just sang very loudly? You do not need to do this with a microphone. I bought a microphone and practiced at home. “

In recent years he moved to New York. “I had no agenda, no job and I started making open calls in Times Square,” he said. “I did not know anyone and I felt very big and free.” Soon, however, the project began: parts on “American Idiot”, “Carrie”, the national tour “Wicked”, “Finding Neverland”, “Waitress” and “Kinky Boots”, to name a few.

He had a steady series of concerts until the late 1920s, when the parties began to dry up. He worked as a feeder and kept auditioning. He was one of the first people to read about Diana’s part in the lab. was hired virtually on the spot.