Courtney Monsma

Interview Highlights
Q: What social changes and responsibilities have you seen people making during the pandemic? Do you think the pandemic will make us a more socially conscious society?
I don’t head out often. Since I got home, I had to spend two weeks in quarantine, and now I'm a week out of that. In Australia, it is a very laid-back attitude. As for the grocery store, nothing has changed. People still rush past you because they are impatient. A lot of beaches were banned because people weren’t listening, which is sad, because I think the quicker we listen, the quicker it will get better. People don't really wear masks outside — you see the elderly wearing masks inside shops. There are way less people out on the streets. The only places you find people are the supermarket. If people are walking, they do tend to have the social distance. It is a slow rise here and is starting to decline now, which is great. It is just the essential places that are packed now, because they have to be. 

Q: Using the idea of “worldmaking” how do you imagine the performing arts world after the pandemic? (Worldmaking: How you can re-imagine the world in your own terms, the way you want it to be. Using this tool one can construct new worlds and write themselves into narratives that have excluded them and systems that have disabled them.)
I would say I want to see more appreciation for what we do. We recently had bush fires here, and performers raised the most money to help the government — yet, we are still not acknowledged. Our jobs are important. I think everyone is feeling that. I think we will come back with a bang — society will be ready to be entertained again.
Read full interview here
Biography

Courtney Monsma is a 22 year old musical theatre performer born and raised in Australia. Courtney has been performing since she can remember from a very young age and that love has thrived. The power to inspire and empower audiences through storytelling is something she is passionate about.