Chicago Talent Jessica Ernest Opens Up About the Struggle to Stay Broadway-Ready in Quarantine

Living near the theater district during the Broadway shutdown, photographer and performer Matthew Stocke has been haunted walking past the empty palaces sitting in repose, waiting for the lights and stars to return. In this new Broadway.com photo feature, he reunites members of the theater community with their Broadway home #AwayFromHome.

JESSICA ERNEST
CHICAGO

Jessica Ernest celebrated three years in Chicago this past March; the long-running, razzle dazzle revival marks her Broadway debut. The hoofer plays Go-to-Hell Kitty and understudies the coveted role of Roxie Hart. Prior to taking her place on the Great Bright Way, she performed as Ulla on the national tour of The Producers and lent her talents to Celebrity Cruise Lines and the regional theater scene. On a return visit to the Ambassador Theatre, she discusses the challenges of maintaining Broadway-ready stamina with an ever-changing reopening date and dreaming about her next bow.

“Over 1,000 shows, three years, eight times a week is killer on the body. All those little injuries that I used to have seem to be going away… We had a clean-up rehearsal on the Tuesday night before the shutdown, and [the show] felt tight and fresh—just super on-point. I thought we were going to be shut down for three weeks and I knew how to keep my body in shape. I knew to keep my choreography fresh in my mind. Then it got pushed back and I stopped reviewing the numbers, stopped working out, stopped really paying attention to myself because I didn’t have something to work towards. And the depression set in. What do I have to work towards? It’s the uncertainty of everything—our lives and our careers. Will I get the virus? Will my family be OK? Will the show reopen? Will I have a job to go back to? Will I be in good enough shape when it happens?… Returning to the theater was overwhelming. It’s the place I made my Broadway debut and have been six days a week for the last three years. That building has been such a big part of my life. It’s crazy how life goes on without everything we know. Which is a testament to how strong we all are. Most people in Chicago have been there 10, 15, even 20 years, but when we return, we’ll all be doing it for the first time again. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.”

Photos by Matthew Stocke/Matt James Photo NYC for Broadway.com
Additional reporting by Lindsey Sullivan