Rachel Frawley
@rachelfrawley on her door mat with the flowers that almost killed her cat.
-Theatre-
I felt TERRIBLE about dropping in on Rachel. I interviewed her neighbor who mentioned that Rachel lived in the next building over. Since this was my first day doing this project I was a little overzealous and just wanted to knock on all the doors of the people I knew to get interviews.
She was in the middle of working, her cat was in the kitty hospital after eating a lily, and Covid-19 was still in full swing so jobs and money were scarce. But Rachel being the person she is just let me wander in and calmly talked while I asked her questions about what she was doing and feeling when I am sure she wanted to just punch me in the face for being so dense and not seeing that that moment wasn’t a great time. Alas, she didn’t punch me and I got to check in with one of my favorite scene partners on what I’m sure was a rough day.
Interviewed 5.12.20
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Casey: So we're stuck. We're stuck at home. Is there any silly thing that you miss going out and doing?
Rachel: I think what I miss is going out and letting the day take me where I want it to or being leisurely as opposed to, right now, every trip out is very specific, very targeted. You can't go and just stroll around anywhere, you know? It has to be in and out, planned ahead. So there's very little spontaneity.
Casey: Is there anybody that you miss?
Rachel: I've gone on socially distant walks. But Katie Causey, Sarah Beth Mosely, we used to see a lot more of each other when we could be within six feet of each other. So I think feeling isolated from your closest friends, it's really tough, you know?
Casey: Do you guys Zoom and stuff?
Rachel: Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm getting to the point where Zoom is very exciting and a wonderful way to keep in contact with people, but also not the same.
Casey: Not the same. Not a substitute.
Rachel: Yeah, but I do. FaceTime has been a lifesaver.
Casey: In all of this nonsense where you have to work from home and whatever, do you have any new sacred places or sacred rituals that you do now that you want to maintain? Hobbies or anything?
Rachel: So I guess I did this before, but it's become a lot more important to me, is like getting outside every single day and, you know, going for a run or going for a walk or just kind of strolling around the complex. It's like now it's a necessity to go out and see the sun. So that's something I enjoy. Now, that's something I really prioritize more than I did. So I hope to keep that.
Casey: It's hard when you work in theatre. It's dark.
Rachel: Sometimes you just don't see the sun.
Casey: Nope. So in all of your nonsense, are you still creating or do you still have any motivation to create?
Rachel: Yeah, I am. Motivation sometimes has been a struggle, like energy levels have been surprisingly low. But I'm lucky enough that I'm still kind of in contact with some people that I'm trying to create with through Tipsy Tales, which I'm producing and acting in. So we're still holding virtual rehearsals and improv rehearsals and trying to navigate producing virtually to get ready for, you know, opening when the world opens back up.
I have a friend I started brainstorming and outlining a web series for, so kind of getting back in touch with writing, which is kind of fun. It's sad not to be able to be in the room or on stage or anything, but there are other ways.
Casey: What do you feel like is your overarching emotion right now? In general, is there one thing that you're feeling more often than anything else?
Rachel: Probably lonely. You know? I have realized how much of a people person I am, more so than I thought.
Casey: Are you alone almost a hundred percent of the time? Do you see anybody, does anybody come in?
Rachel: I have been trying to keep quarantine as safe as possible, so not really going over to people's houses or the other way around. So it really highlights the time that I've been going on, you know, walks outside with people or occasionally we've had to navigate, like how do you film an audition when you need another person? Are we standing twelve feet apart in the living room? So little instances like that. And, you know, definitely I've been prioritizing Zoom calls or FaceTime. So there's ways to get in contact with people. But if I had to pick one overarching emotion, it's still that.
Casey: Loneliness. I hate that for you.
Rachel: I hate it for the world!
Casey: True! I also hate it because I feel like if you had a roommate or if you had someone you were quarantining with, would you prefer that or do you like being alone?
Rachel: I don't know. Well, I'm lucky enough to have my cat. He has been my little quarantine buddy for most of this time. Other than that, I mean, I guess the grass is always greener, you know? So it depends on the people and the space. I don't know. I'm just trying to get through day by day with this quarantine.
Casey: Absolutely. Obviously your cat is probably happy that you're home all the time.
Rachel: He's thrilled. He's a little attention whore so he's going to be so mad when I go back to work everyday.
Casey: I appreciate you and thank you for letting me just drop into your house.
Rachel: Of course. Also, I love you. Heads up. If you didn't know.
