bus and truck tours
bus and truck tours
#1bus and truck tours
Posted: 8/18/08 at 1:25amI may have landed a job on a bus and truck tour this fall, and since I'm a little obsessive compulsive I figured I would do a search and see what sort of tips and advice people had for living and working in that situation. I searched here and google and came up empty handed. With all of the random websites and message boards out there I was sure there'd be lots of info and I couldn't find anything. Does anyone know of any sort of resource out there to prepare people for what they're in for?
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#2re: bus and truck tours
Posted: 8/18/08 at 11:01am
I did one and had a blast.
First off, there will be one marriage or marriage equiv breakup and another will form! There's a good chance that it will be closet-no-more for someone also. Then there are the tour relationships. They will end when the tour does.
You will see parts of the country that have here-to-fore only been on a map.
Be flexible. If you fight the way you are touring you will hate it. It is up to you to make it work.
Take a cheap pillow. You will learn the best way to sleep on a bus. Comfortable clothes and shoes are a must.
We became pretty good bowlers. The "I" states (Indiana, Illinois, Iowa) are conducive to bowling.
Remember that you are doing this tour for a finite amount of time and not the rest of your life. You will learn how to adapt to different performing spaces and how to do a good show when you are dead tired. You will learn how to simply explain any quick changes to new dressers sometimes six times a week in six differing towns. You will come off a B+T as a pro if you're smart, savvy and play your cards right.
Have fun. If you can't have fun, what's the point?
There are five terms that can be applied to the theatres: new, old, restored, clean, dirty. No more than three will ever apply. Each town will be about where food is after the performance. Denny's will become your best friend. If nothing is open, room service or buy a sandwich for after the show.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
twogaab2
Broadway Star Joined: 5/19/03
#2re: bus and truck tours
Posted: 8/18/08 at 11:35am
Take lots of books-after a couple of weeks you will NOT want to talk to those people anymore. (Also it will make you very popular as other people will want to borrow them for the same reason).
Get lots of rest-you will need it.
TWOGAAB
"A Class Act" will never die!
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#3re: bus and truck tours
Posted: 8/18/08 at 11:39amWOSQ....truer words were never spoken. Thanks for the thoughts!
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#4re: bus and truck tours
Posted: 8/18/08 at 2:10pmAlso, if you want to know a little something about the company you're working with, look no further than www.nonequitydeputy.com -- they really seem to know their ****, and they solicit comments (both pro and con) from people who've worked with various companies so you can hear the straight dope.
"There is no problem so big that it cannot be run away from."
~ Charles M. Schulz
#5re: bus and truck tours
Posted: 8/18/08 at 2:23pm
Do direct deposit.
If you're a shopper, mail your purchases back home.
Chick-fil-A is your friend. It's amazing food but a lot of cities, you will find, do not have one. So when you come across one -- GO!!
Sight-see! Go do stuff! Find batting cages, mini-golf, bowling, laser tag, rent boats or jet skis at lakes/beaches, go see the must-see movies, try and see other local theatre!!
If it's a large company, cliques will form. Don't be afraid to stick to your usual group of friends, but always try and invite others.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
--Aristotle
Fosse76
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/21/05
#6re: bus and truck tours
Posted: 8/18/08 at 2:58pm
"If it's a large company, cliques will form."
What??? Cliques??? In musical theater??? Are you serious? Who'd have thought!
#7re: bus and truck tours
Posted: 8/18/08 at 3:08pm
The good CAPN beat me to it...
SEE and EXPERIENCE EVERY CITY!
Do as much sight-seeing and "tourist" stuff you can do while in each town. Ask around for the BEST local places to eat and drink.
You never know if you'll be back in that part of the country, so - good or bad - be sure to check it out.
I know a few cities I've liked so much that I actually went back to spend more time in after the tours. (Charleston and Savannah come to mind.)
Also, good tip about mailing your souvenirs home to a family member or good friend until you get back.
Most importantly...
HAVE FUN!
"To love another person is to see the face of God!"
