Behind the Curtains: What life is like for touring actors on the road

Cheyenne Omani as Wendy Kruz Maldonado as Peter Pan and Bailey Frankenberg as Tiger Lily in Peter Pan Photo by Evan Zimmerman If you go to a show at the Fox Theatre you ll more than likely be dazzled by what you see on stage But behind the scenes things aren t nearly so glamorous Being an actor on a national tour can be exciting but also draining It s a chance to see different places all over the country but it also takes you away from your family and friends for long stretches of time So how do these performers make the road feel like home What do they do with their downtime What are they looking forward to in Atlanta I in recent days spoke with three performers Jackson Goad Bailey Frankenberg and Aubrie-Mei Rubel who will soon be coming through the Fox with the national touring productions of Shucked and Peter Pan Between complaining about the pollen and sharing restaurant recommendations I got the skinny on what life is like for touring actors and what these three are looking forward to in Atlanta Getting acclimated to home on the roadAll three performers have been with their respective productions for different amounts of time and therefore are at different stages in their tour-acclimation journeys For Goad who is a part of the ensemble and understudies two roles Shucked is his first major gig The show started previews in October of last year and began moving from city to city in November Jackson Goad is on the national tour of Shucked coming to the Fox Theatre May - Photo provided by Brave PR Chosen parts of the life you get down right now They just become second nature to you Goad mentioned Various parts are never quite the easiest It s consistently constantly moving It can be tricky One of the worst parts he declared is getting used to waking up in an entirely different timezone and setting from the day before When you re a singer the smallest changes in weather and elevation can make a big difference You get a week in South Carolina and then you go straight back up to Schenectady New York Goad stated chortling It s like I just stopped using lotion on my hands Why are we back here Touring vets might have had more time to get used to the lifestyle but even they can feel a little shaky on their feet sometimes Frankenberg who plays Tiger Lily in Peter Pan has been with the show since Halloween of The show started touring in earnest in early Every limited weeks I would upgrade something Okay I need a new suitcase Then I got Roku Frankenberg commented I feel like I m still learning but I ve gotten it down I think it took maybe six months to really hone in on this is the perfect structure For Rubel who plays Wendy in Peter Pan the experience has been slightly different Before joining the show when we spoke she had only been with the show for about two and a half weeks she was touring with Theater for Young Audiences for roughly a year and a half Instead of staying in every city for about a week she was moving around to a new place every single day It s very different to stay in a city for a week I ve been quite enjoying it Rubel announced It s been a little bit easier I m like oh I can genuinely unpack and not live out of a suitcase Weekly ScheduleA touring performer s schedule is dependent on a variety of factors including how long they ve been with the show and how long the show has been on tour Goad explained as Shucked has continued on tour the rehearsal schedule has become less intense When you re in rehearsals it s like a m to p m he stated You re rehearsing you re dancing all day you re on your feet you re exhausted You re writing down notes you re changing notes So you go home and you research As an understudy Goad also had understudy rehearsal a couple of times a week for the first minimal months Now he mentioned it s more like an understudy rehearsal every couple of weeks For the first leg of the journey the only real free days you get are Tuesday maybe Wednesday and Friday Goad mentioned In general Thursday is a rehearsal day with two-show days on Saturday and Sunday Frankenberg who serves as a flight captain for Peter Pan disclosed that in recent months she hadn t had too much downtime because of the amount of new actors who needed to be trained on the show s flight aspects As a flight captain she usually comes into the theater around p m on Tuesdays to do fly training meaning running through the different flight aspects of the show in the new space and training any local operators who might need it Wednesday through Friday the cast generally has the ability to explore whatever city they re in or relax if need be Bailey Frankenberg plays Tiger Lily in the production of Peter Pan coming to the Fox Theatre April -May Photo provided by Brave PR What to do in AtlantaSince joining the Peter Pan tour Rubel hasn t had too much time to explore new cities for the first couple of weeks she was in rehearsals all day and then watching the show at night But when she gets to Atlanta that should change Rubel who has never been to Atlanta before announced there s one big thing she s looking forward to I am quite excited for the aquarium she declared I hear you guys have a great aquarium and I love an aquarium Rubel isn t the only one According to all three actors touring cast members usually have the option to stay in company-provided hotels the location of which can vary depending on the city Goad stated that during the Shucked stop in Knoxville Tenn the hotel was about feet away from the theater s stage door entrance whereas in other cities it might be a -minute drive via rental car Cast members can opt out of the company housing however if they have family in the city or want to do something other than a hotel Goad is an Athens native but his family is a little too far away for him to stay at home he mentioned He doesn t mind however he wants to stay right in the middle of Atlanta and plans to make a stop at home too I ve been joking with my castmates not only do I have an itinerary for one of the days in Atlanta we re going to rent a car and drive to Athens Goad explained The Atlanta itinerary includes a stop at the Georgia Aquarium in the morning a stop at The Varsity for lunch Varsity is an absolute must he stated and the afternoon spent outside in Pemberton Place or maybe in Centennial Olympic Park Outside time is also big for Frankenberg She and her fianc who is also on the Peter Pan tour with her live in Hapeville and are excited to be able to stay at their own home with their cat and their roommate I m hoping that the weather is nice enough that I can take my paddleboard out to Stone Mountain Frankenberg explained I would love to hike Stone Mountain or go to the nature preserve and walk through the trees We re big fans of walking on the Beltline Frankenberg also declared she has hundreds of restaurants saved on her phone Specific of her favorites include Little Bear and Bomb Biscuit We not long ago at last went to Bomb Biscuit Frankenberg stated And it really was the best biscuit of my life While exploring new places is part of the fun of being on tour it s also crucial to know your limits I m a big proponent of exploring I really love excursion so I really like finding things in the city Rubel stated But it certainly is a balance because as I ve realized it s very tiring To get rest is very major Figuring out how to manage that balance sometimes takes a little self control There are times when people are going out and I have to regulate myself and be like no Aubrie-Mei she explained You need rest Movement HacksWhen it comes to touring there s no one size fits all approach Everyone s gotta do it their own way Goad declared Everyone has a life before touring so you ve got your own little capitulations you ve gotta make for you Aubrie-Mei Rubel plays Wendy in the production of Peter Pan coming to the Fox Theatre April -May Photo provided by Brave PR For Rubel being able to progress light is part of her success I only have one suitcase she announced I know a lot of my cast members have two but I just find it easier to do one I ve learned how to manage my space in my suitcase very well Frankenberg has also learned the value of a good set of packing cubes as well as a pair of noise-cancelling headphones She has also learned that when it comes to coffee there are just chosen things she can t compromise on I expedition with a little tiny frother that whips chosen oat milk up for me she announced Now I m at the point where I movement with coffee and a French press Goad s best advice though is to have something to fill your relaxation time that is wholly unrelated to touring something that can take your mind off the rush of the road I took up whittling in Houston I got a up-to-date gaming system that I m loving just something that reminds you of your old life or your family or wherever your home base is he noted The post Behind the Curtains What life is like for touring actors on the road appeared first on Rough 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