It's perhaps way, way far down on the list of things to wonder and worry about during the coronavirus pandemic, but: as theaters and clubs shut down across the nation, how will performers adapt? Over the weekend, Patton Oswalt and Maria Bamford test-drove two methods we may be seeing more of as the crisis persists—and managed to bring laughter to quarantined audiences during this period of new abnormal.

Via his Twitter account—and with help from Meredith Salenger, Oswalt's wife, and producer Ben Schwartz (no relation to the actor and Sonic the Hedgehog voice)—Oswalt performed a tight 57 seconds from his balcony on Sunday. “Watching the videos from Italy inspired me,” Oswalt wrote on Twitter, referencing the numerous viral videos of quarantined Italian residents singing from their balconies. “Entertainers must offer hope & humor to their neighbors in this time of quarantine.”

Joked Oswalt in the video, “This Covid-19, I tell ya. I didn’t see Covid 1 through 18, so I don’t really know what this is all about.”

Bamford, whose latest comedy special was released in January and is available to stream now via a number of providers, has taken a more personal approach. On Friday, she offered to provided writing help for $25 per hour to anyone who needed it, in an effort to earn extra money while losing live performance income.

On Saturday, Bamford added one-to-one stand-up comedy to her list of offerings. That show was free and, judging from her tweets, a rousing success.

In this era of strict social distancing, expect Oswalt and Bamford’s strategies to become the rule. Already, at least one comedy club in New York, Caveat, has shifted to live-streaming its performances via YouTube and Facebook. Nationwide, at least one other club has experimented with something similar, Vulture recently reported. Even John Oliver alluded to the idea that his comedy could continue even while Last Week Tonight is held on an indefinite hiatus. “Take care of yourself, take care of each other, and we will be back in some form, at some time in the future. Until then, stay safe,” Oliver said at the conclusion of his HBO show on Sunday night. Laughter isn't necessarily the best medicine at this point, but it can't hurt—provided it’s done in accordance with Centers for Disease Control recommendations.

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