Sarasota actress Syreeta Banks calls on faith and talent to get through pandemic
Syreeta Banks has been singing since childhood, performing in community theater shows and building toward a professional career.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, she was part of the cast of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s production of “Your Arms Too Short to Box with God,” which had been running just a few weeks before it was forced to close. She also was a longtime cast member of “The Lion King” show at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.
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Banks had just returned from Ireland where she did a short film before starting rehearsals for “Your Arms Too Short,” which began performances Feb. 26, 2020, just as concerns about health and safety forced changes in the theater’s operations before the production was canceled altogether.
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“At Westcoast after every show, we go out and we greet our guests and thank them for coming out to see us,” Banks said. “Because we would always perform to full houses, we would notice that there were empty seats. Next thing you know, there’s a whole row empty or an empty section.” It wasn’t long before there were no people to greet.
“We didn’t know how bad it was going to be right until they shut it down,” she said. “We still had three more weeks to go which was sad because it’s a great show. They didn’t know what to expect.”
After years of carefully strategizing career moves, suddenly she had nowhere to perform, wondering about paychecks and worrying about the momentum she had been building.
“For me, I went from being constantly busy, even in between shows I would have those small gigs here and there, to not being able to do anything. But you know, God is good, and he always provides.”
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“I was still part-time at Disney World, so when I heard that Disney shut down, I knew it was serious. Disney doesn’t close for anything,” she said. “A hurricane can be right outside on I-4 and they’re open.”
She was able to quarantine with her mother, Phyllis Banks, who also performed frequently in community theaters in the Sarasota area.
“All of that was a year of blessings,” she said. “I had no choice but to sit down and just reflect on what it is I want for my future, what it is that I’m looking forward to and just to be grateful that I have been able to perform all these years, doing what I love to do.”
She also had to deal with COVID herself. She tested positive at the start of the pandemic but said her symptoms “were mild compared to other people that I knew. I had a friend of mine who was in a coma for 32 days. I just had like a baby cough and my fever was never more than like 99.6 degrees. I lost my sense of taste, which was the worst because I love to eat.”
Her main concern was for her mother, who is over 60 “and I was just making sure that I’m careful for her and all those who have underlying conditions.”
Losing precious career-building years
While many performers questioned their futures during the pandemic, Banks faced the challenge of keeping up her performance skills when she had nowhere to perform.
“You can go in a practice room and practice your skills all you want, but 90 percent of it is being in front of that audience or working with that fellow actor on stage,” she said. “Being deprived of that for a year did make me question what’s going to happen to my skills. When it was time for me to sing, I hadn’t sung in months.”
She was among many who gained the “quarantine 15” pounds, and “it was an adjustment getting back into the practice of doing it consistently. But it’s like riding a bicycle. Once you learn, it doesn’t leave you.”
After many months, there were some jobs available. Banks was cast in WBTT’s outdoor cabaret show “Sistas in the Name of Soul,” which was presented in the theater’s parking lot in the spring. She also created an original cabaret show “This Little Light of Mine,” which she included in Venice Theatre’s Summer Cabaret Festival.
“I was able to reflect and do some inner work to figure out what makes me tick, and to try to heal some broken spaces,” she said. “I’m learning how to let that light shine. I'm learning how to help and encourage others to shine their light. I just chose to be grateful for every moment.”
She is now back at work at WBTT in the musical revue “Eubie!” which runs through Nov. 21 (westcoastblacktheatre.org). Performing with 10 other cast members brings her back where she wants to be, and she is cautiously optimistic about the months ahead.
“Because the majority of my work will be through WBTT this season, I am confident because we follow Equity guidelines for safety,” she said. “All of the artists and all the staff have been vaccinated. I’ve been vaccinated since April. When I go out, I still wear my mask and I’m still careful. I’m just praying that the people who are coming to see us will be willing to do what it takes to enjoy the show and to mask up to make sure that they protect themselves and other people.”
The last 18 months have made her realize how important the work is.
“We it for granted until we’re not able to do it anymore or we lose it,” she said. “I'm looking forward to it all, how the light shines on you and how you’re connected with that audience member. It’s in those moments that I’m in my happy place. That’s where I’m closest to God because I feel like I’m utilizing the gifts that he’s giving me. That’s how I worship.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Syreeta Banks, Sarasota actress, adapts to post-pandemic arts world
