Waterlooville actress reveals joy of finding work after Covid shattered theatre industry

Gracie Lai has spent her whole career on stage.
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But when the curtain came down at theatres across the country thanks to coronavirus, the all-singing, all-dancing actress from Waterlooville was devastated.

After months of being unemployed, Gracie has found a new job as a games master which utilises her talented acting skills through an online escape room platform, allowing family and friends to play together from different parts of the country.

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But 2020 was grim for the entertainment industry and the impact it has had is scarring.

Gracie Lai, a West End actor has told how an escape room job has given her a lifeline to still do the job she loves after one of toughest employment years for arts professionals.  
Picture: Habibur RahmanGracie Lai, a West End actor has told how an escape room job has given her a lifeline to still do the job she loves after one of toughest employment years for arts professionals.  
Picture: Habibur Rahman
Gracie Lai, a West End actor has told how an escape room job has given her a lifeline to still do the job she loves after one of toughest employment years for arts professionals.  Picture: Habibur Rahman

Gracie, 31, says: ‘I remember in early March thinking we were likely to go into lockdown with a sense of dread but I did think it was the right thing to do at the time for the sake of everyone’s health.

‘But I could never have predicted the detriment it would have on the theatre industry.

‘As professional actors, rejection is part of the job and it is something we are all used to but when I was left without any work through no fault of my own and there was so little to audition for, it really was demoralising.

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‘It really impacted my mental health not only from not being able to get any work, but missing performing. It is a real outlet for me to release and express myself and to suddenly have it taken away was a tough pill to swallow.’

Gracie as Urleen in Footloose - UK & International Tour 2017/18. Picture: Matt MartinGracie as Urleen in Footloose - UK & International Tour 2017/18. Picture: Matt Martin
Gracie as Urleen in Footloose - UK & International Tour 2017/18. Picture: Matt Martin

Being on stage was Gracie’s dream since she was a little girl. Born and raised in Portsmouth, Gracie attended Northern Parade Infant and Junior School and then Mayfield Secondary School.

‘I then went on to South Downs College,’ she explains.

‘I spent some time auditioning for drama schools and got accepted into Performance Preparation Academy, Guildford.’

From there, Gracie has performed in a number of shows and regional pantomimes at Mercury Theatre, Colchester, and in Blackpool. She has also been a cast member of the touring show Footloose, Avenue Q and in the West End in The Comedy About a Bank Robbery.

Gracie as Understudy Caprice in The Comedy About a Bank Robbery - West End 2018/19.Gracie as Understudy Caprice in The Comedy About a Bank Robbery - West End 2018/19.
Gracie as Understudy Caprice in The Comedy About a Bank Robbery - West End 2018/19.
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‘There’s something really fun about pantomimes and the back and forth with the audience,’ says Gracie, smiling.

‘No two shows are the same because no two audiences are the same.’

Gracie has been an actress for six years and said she was luckily never unemployed for a long period of time.

She says: ‘When lockdown came in, I was working in a show called Sugarcoats at Vaults Festival in London.

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‘Our show ended on March 15 luckily so we were able to perform but I know many people who had their shows cancelled.

‘My work stopped overnight. It was horrible.’

After the show in London, Gracie was planning on working at the Edinburgh Fringe which never went ahead.

After a few months with little work and despite receiving the government’s SEISS grant, Gracie was forced to move back home with her family in Waterlooville as she could no longer afford rent for her London flat.

‘I know so many of my friends are still unemployed or now work at supermarkets or are delivery drivers. They needed to find something,’ says Gracie.

‘We were all very on edge.

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‘I quite naively thought things would get better in a couple of months.

‘The community is supportive of each other. Even if I am not in work, I am always glad to hear other people are. But it is difficult because we feel completely helpless.

‘We weren’t allowed to do what we were trained to do.

‘I put off looking at other jobs for a very long time as I just clung onto the hope theatres would reopen and we could return to what we love.

‘By summer, I’d normally be starting to get ready for panto season but that was looking less and less likely as the days went on

‘I think we all try to find the silver lining.’

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And Gracie’s silver lining was finding her new job with Agent Venture, run by company The Adventure Is Real, which organises online escape room challenges through a theatrical immersive experience using West End actors.

It has been named one of the best online escape rooms to try from home and has recently picked up a 2020 OnComm for Online Shows by the Offies; an award for theatre shows.

Gracie, who has been working there since October, said: ‘When I applied, Agent Venture was looking for 10 new Games Masters to help run the escape rooms and perform various different characters for the players.

‘The process of applying was very quick, I had an interview reading off a script then a few days later I was in a training session to become a games master.

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‘I am very comfortable on stage and auditioning in person but trying to convey my personality through a video call is a totally different thing.

‘But this has actually turned out to be a perfect job for me, I love puzzles and board games and the job itself involves a lot of voice acting as the players never actually see us on the video call, it’s just a picture of a spy.

‘It’s been a great opportunity for me to hone that skill further.’

Agent Venture has three different missions available for participants to enjoy over the video-conferencing platform Zoom. Through talented voice actors – such as Gracie – who can play several characters in one game alone, each group is led by one voice actor while narrating the story to the players and taking them through the challenges in the mission.

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Players assume a role at the start of the game and are given access to visual aids in the form of blueprints, maps and secret messages on an online drive to fully immerse them within the narrative.

Gracie adds: ‘I really look forward to hosting a game.

‘The players we have are always so engaged and it's like having an intimate private audience to your performance.

‘I’ve got back the release of performing I had missed so much over the last six months.’

Looking to the future, Gracie hopes the industry will get back on its feet and people will enjoy going to the theatre again.

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‘I like to take everything day by day at the moment. I still have the hopes and dreams for my acting career,’ she says.

‘We hope shows can resume at some point next year. Although it’s great to do so much online, we don’t want to perform like that forever. Nothing beats performing on stage.’

To find out more about Agent Venture, visit agentventure.com.

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