It’s amazing what baking can do. With Broadway shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many performers have found new mediums in which they can remain creative. For Diana dance captain Richard Gatta, he has spent his time baking, bringing his love of the theatre into his Broadway-themed confections.
"A few years ago, I pulled out a book from a pile of cookbooks I had in my kitchen called The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book from the famous pie shop in Brooklyn. I never really thought that pie baking would be of interest to me, but I had time in between contracts and decided to give it a go. For some reason it stuck with me, and it became my go-to hobby when I had spare time and wasn’t performing," Gatta explains.
"What intrigued me was the idea of using both sides of the brain, the scientific act of baking combined with the creative artistic side of pie art," he continues. "The balance of the two created a challenging and rewarding experience for me.
"At the time of the Broadway shutdown, Diana was in full swing. As the dance captain for the show, I was working non-stop, in and out of the Longacre Theatre. The company was workshopping new material by day and performing previews at night. All of that suddenly halted. We were once working 10-hour days, now we were searching for what would fill the abundance of free time. For me that was baking.
"Everyone is looking for something to keep them grounded and creative during this time while everything is shut down. When I see my other friends post about their creative endeavors it inspires and motivates me to do the same. Who knows, maybe the pies will inspire someone to try something new. Perhaps they will find a hidden passion that they never knew they had."
From Diana to Hadestown, take a look at Gatta's Broadway-inspired pies and follow along on Instagram with #Richardgattapieartist.
