Private Project

The Pandemic Monologues

It's June of 2020, three months after the world shut down. The isolation is crippling, especially for teenagers. A group of theater kids, grappling with the inner turmoil triggered by their stages going dark, hatch a plan to gather and tell their pandemic stories on film. Making art feels like a last desperate gasp for air in their suffocating Covid existence. But if their parents find out, lockdown may turn into a prison they'll never escape.

  • Keith Contreras-McDonald
    Director
  • Jill Johnson Mann
    Writer
    "Straight Laced," "Presumed Incompetent," "Lux Freer"
  • Jill Johnson Mann
    Producer
    "Straight Laced," "Presumed Incompetent," "Lux Freer"
  • Cynthia Gibb
    Producer
    "Straight Laced," "Presumed Incompetent," "Lux Freer"
  • Sophie Jasmin Walther
    Key Cast
    "Sibyl"
    "Straight Laced," "Presumed Incompetent," "Lux Freer"
  • Charlie Watson
    Key Cast
    "Zack"
    "Straight Laced"
  • Matthew Bukzin
    Key Cast
    "Ty"
    "Straight Laced," "Presumed Incompetent"
  • Lai-Ling Bisset
    Key Cast
    "Vy"
  • Juniper Feifer
    Key Cast
    "Jordan"
    "Lux Freer"
  • Sophia Yanni
    Key Cast
    "Grace"
  • Brigg Liberman
    Key Cast
    "Nice"
    "Straight Laced," "Happy Gilmore 2," "Trevor the Musical"
  • Wynston Browne
    Key Cast
    "Ethan"
    "Presumed Incompetent," "Straight Laced," The Telepathy Tapes documentary
  • Phoebe McCance
    Key Cast
    "Hazel"
    "Straight Laced"
  • Sasha Wilker
    Key Cast
    "Ariel"
  • Bella Reganato
    Key Cast
    "Harmony"
  • Anne Elliot
    Key Cast
    "Maisy"
  • Simone Albaridi
    Key Cast
    "Lily"
  • Gavin Kizner
    Key Cast
    "Jackson"
  • Alec Civisca
    Key Cast
    "Noah"
  • Michele Feinberg
    Key Cast
    "Serena Whittleford"
  • Lindsay Czarniak
    Key Cast
    "Caroline Hilton"
  • Ella Sawala
    Key Cast
    "Charlotte"
  • Vivienne Phillips
    Key Cast
    "Mia"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes 41 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 20, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Keith Contreras-McDonald

Keith Contreras-McDonald is a San Antonio born, New York–based director, actor, and educator. A graduate of The Juilliard School’s Drama Division, he has built a career at the intersection of professional performance and arts education. Keith currently teaches at Triple Threat Academy, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and Upper School Theatre at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, where he directs, teaches, coaches, and develops student-driven productions that emphasize ensemble, storytelling, and creative risk-taking.

As a director, Keith is drawn to work that centers the human voice—especially stories that explore isolation, connection, and the tension between public identity and private experience. The Pandemic Monologues marks his debut as a film director, inspired by his work with young actors and his interest in capturing raw, immediate performances in an intimate cinematic form.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Pandemic Monologues began as a response to a moment when the world went quiet—but internally, for many of us, everything got louder.

During the pandemic, I was working closely with young people who were navigating isolation, uncertainty, and a profound disruption of their daily lives. What struck me most was not just what they were experiencing, but what they were holding inside—thoughts, fears, humor, and resilience that didn’t always have an outlet. This film grew out of a desire to give voice to those inner worlds.

The monologue form felt essential. There is something deeply theatrical—and deeply human—about a single person speaking directly, vulnerably, without interruption. In translating that form to film, I wanted to preserve its intimacy while using the camera to bring the audience closer than a stage ever could. The result is a series of portraits that exist somewhere between performance and confession.

While the film is rooted in a specific global event, it is ultimately about something more universal: the need to be heard, the struggle to process our experiences, and the quiet ways we endure. These stories are not just about the pandemic—they are about what happens when we are forced to sit with ourselves.

My hope is that audiences see themselves reflected in these voices, and perhaps recognize that even in isolation, we are never truly alone.