Crystal Wise
In the early stages of the pandemic, Broadway saw the lights dim and the curtains close for the better part of a year. The long hiatus was a pivotal moment that greatly affected those on and off the stage.
A new documentary that spotlights the industry’s travails during the shutdown recently premiered at the world-renowned Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by the Emmy-nominated Amy Rice, “Broadway Rising” isn’t all Big Apple natives. Sainty and Eric Nelsen, a Fort Worth couple and stage actors who have been regularly making local headlines, served as co-executive producers of the documentary.
We sat down with Fort Worthian — yes, she was born here — Sainty, whose IMDB credits include “The Last Whistle,” “Trolls: The Beat Goes On!,” “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” and “Ridley Jones,” for a chat about the new documentary and what’s next for the producer and actress.
FW: Tell us about the documentary and how the production process began?
Sainty Nelsen: It was about a year and a half ago, and we got an email from Justin, Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s husband, and asked if we (with husband Eric Nelsen) would be interested in being co-executive producers on the film. Eric and I have a background on broadway. Even though most of our experiences lately have been TV and film, our hearts and souls are on Broadway. When COVID-19 hit, it really took a toll on the Broadway community. [In this documentary] Amy Rice, who is the director, wanted to dive into all the outlets of theater, from the doorman to the costumes to the actors, directors, and everyone from patient zero to the usher, she wanted to show how all of Broadway was affected Even to this day, while Broadway is back and running, it’s still figuring out the post-COVID-19 life.
When we went to the Tribeca Film Festival a couple of days ago, it was almost like the audience kept feeling PTSD because it’s so amazing how almost all of us have tried to forget that time of March 2020. It was such a beautiful experience, and it just goes to show how much goes into putting on a show. For 18 months, Amy documented the shutting down and reopening of Broadway. It was an amazing experience, and with Eric and I being co-executive producers, it felt unbelievable to share part of that story.
The LA Times said this documentary would truly be a documentation of that time in New York history. I thought that was so true. [The documentary] really showed those months playing out and what really goes on behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, and what goes into putting a Broadway show on. It was an honor to be part of [the documentary] , and to have it open at Tribeca Film Festival. It was a full circle to be able to open [at Tribeca]and send that message out.
Q: How does the documentary take the audience through those 18 months? When was the film produced?
S: [Amy]started [filming] in March and finished when Broadway opened this past September. During the credits, they give updates on everyone who was involved in the documentary. It really is traumatic. You see how many people’s lives were affected. A lot of times, as an actor, your side gig is babysitting or being a waitress, and those were shut down, too. The film shows people getting creative on how to start this new lifestyle. One of the actors in the documentary, Adam Perry, has been in a lot of Broadway shows and is an amazing and unbelievable dancer. He’s now a florist, doing these amazing bouquets and crushing the game doing that. It was so unbelievable seeing how people are resilient and can push through anything, even if it seems like at the time you can’t. It’s amazing to see how we can come together and come out better in the end.
Q: In that March period where everything began to shut down, Broadway was one of those gradual pieces where everyone was asking “What is happening and what’s going to happen next?”. Did you feel or see those moments in the documentary?
S: Totally, and Broadway was the last to shut down. It was like, “Okay, we are going to try to do isolation.” And then the world fell during that two-week curve. We talk about patient zero, who is an usher at Broadway in New York, and he was treated like he had the plague. The news said an usher tested positive, and there were hundreds of news articles on him. When COVID-19 was really heavy, we all knew someone in our circles who had COVID-19, but now it’s so normal that you forget at the beginning it was almost like you had the scarlet letter. I can’t imagine that kind of anxiety and being treated like that. It was almost like it was his fault, and it was crazy seeing that.
New York is one of the most resilient places in the world, and we all knew that Broadway, of all places, would come back. But it was so triggering watching it all happen again [in the documentary] and experiencing it. Amy did a nice job showing the tragedy of the pandemic but also the beautiful moments and how people became stronger. We are definitely in a more educated world. We did a wonderful job of not only showing the lows but also the highs of those 18 months.
Q: What was your involvement and what did it entail?
S: We really do try to help financially as much as we can to support what we are passionate about. And, obviously, Broadway is something we are both passionate about. When we got the opportunity to do this, we were like, “Yes, sign us up.” We want to promote the film and get it everywhere we can.
Crystal Wise
Q: What do you hope people walk away from and learn from watching the documentary?
S: There's so much that goes on behind the scenes, and I would love to show people how much it takes to produce a Broadway show — costumes, lights, etc. It can shut down so fast, and all these people lose their jobs. You think the actors are the only ones to lose their job. No, everyone does, from the usher to the costumes to the doorman. It shows all across the board how much goes on and that New York will always come back. Broadway will always be strong. We will always come back better than ever, even in these turbulent times.
Q: Even on TikTok during the pandemic, there were people taking Broadway and musicals into their own hands.. It’s this new wave of at-home creativity.
S: It made everything attainable and relatable. Broadway shutting down doesn’t mean we have to stop singing show tunes in the car or shower. Even with the Broadway shutdown, everyone was continuing to do it for that feeling inside.
I was just in New York for the Tribeca Film Festival and hadn’t been back in about three years, and I just forgot that feeling. It felt so good to sit in those seats. And, when the lights go down and the music starts, there’s nothing like that feeling. I’ve been part of TV and film for so many years now, but watching live-action musicals is just magic. There’s nothing like it.
Q: Making a documentary about people on Broadway being affected by the shutdown, it means you have a deep connection to the industry. What’s been your relationship with theater and Broadway in general?
S: Helping to produce Broadway has become part of our world, and we get updates all the time — getting COVID-19 notifications. That was the hard part, and it was making sure our friends were staying healthy. Understudies are the true heroes on Broadway because they keep shows going — testing is something that is still happening. It’s very likely someone will test positive that week or the next week. [Understudies] have been the saving grace of Broadway recently. I think it’s going to take time to learn the new normal of Broadway and figure that out. So much TV and film between my husband and I have been remote, including auditions. So many of my friends are actors in New York, and watching them struggle is extremely hard. You never want to see any of your friends out of work. Many have created podcasts and continue to do so many amazing things. It takes time to learn this new world we’re navigating.
Q: With a documentary about Broadway under your belt, what project are you looking forward to working on next?
S: I’m looking forward to doing more things like this. We are recording season four of “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” and my series “Ridley Jones” is out on Netflix and “Loud House” is on Nickelodeon. I also have a couple of pilots coming out for Disney and Nickelodeon, and Eric has really exciting stuff coming soon. We are working on more projects together, and we are trying to help and support our friends too. We’re collaborating with people we love and want to continue doing that. I never thought in a thousand years I would be doing voiceover acting, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
