Touring Cast Absences

[laporms]

Posted: 1/25/23 at 8:09pm

I've noticed a trend that unless it's the first date of a tour run, there is at least one or more understudies on. This seems to be more than on Broadway. 

How many days off do touring actors usually get off, besides travel and Mondays? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/25/23 at 8:46pm

The road is tiring for performers, and they may be more apt to take a sick day (injury, mental health, vocal strain, etc) on tour than on Bway.

That said, I don't think I've seen a Broadway musical post-reopening that hasn't had a swing or understudy on. And a positive COVID diagnosis means you're out for 10 days. It happens. I have no doubt you're still getting a good solid show.

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/25/23 at 8:55pm

One trend I've noticed touring performers posting about is that, frequently, their "day off" is spent traveling. One of the ensemblists in the Hadestown tour posted on Instagram about being exhausted since they didn't really have any time to rest between the Sunday show in Kansas City to the Tuesday show in Madison, WI.

The next time the cast has an extended break in the schedule of zigzagging across the Midwest is from 6/12-6/26 and then 7/2-9/12 - which is many months away.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 1/26/23 at 8:29am

quizking101 said: "One trend I've noticed touring performers posting about is that, frequently, their "day off" is spent traveling. One of the ensemblists in the Hadestown tour posted on Instagram about being exhausted since they didn't really have any time to rest between the Sunday show in Kansas City to the Tuesday show in Madison, WI."

I don't mean to sound insensitive here, but that's what they signed up for. That's literally how just about every tour has worked for at least the past 25 years. Not at all saying it isn't difficult or that either working or traveling all 7 days a week isn't exhausting, but if you don't want to or simply can't handle that, don't do a tour. It's part of what you sign up for when you take the job, so complaining about it now isn't going to elicit much sympathy.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 1/26/23 at 9:09am

No. People need to understand touring is a lot. Yes they signed up for it, but most of the time-again, *most* of the time, I have seen very good attendance from the performers. Traveling takes a toll and ALSO most are not used to that. Give them a break. Don't just say "suck it up". 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 1/26/23 at 9:11am

Broadway61004 said: "quizking101 said: "One trend I've noticed touring performers posting about is that, frequently, their "day off" is spent traveling. One of the ensemblists in the Hadestown tour posted on Instagram about being exhausted since they didn't really have any time to rest between the Sunday show in Kansas City to the Tuesday show in Madison, WI."

I don't mean to sound insensitive here, but that's what they signed up for. That's literally how just about every tour has worked for at least the past 25 years. Not at all saying it isn't difficult or that either working or traveling all 7 days a week isn't exhausting, but if you don't want to or simply can't handle that, don't do a tour. It's part of what you sign up for when you take the job, so complaining about it now isn't going to elicit much sympathy."

Chances are, what they signed up for is a contract with built in sick days and personal days. Being an actor is a job just like any other. One of the biggest problems in America's work force is that American workers don't use their sick days and personal days, despite them being contractually available. For some reason, we feel like it is wrong to use the days you have a right to use. This is so endemic to our society that it has been covered by nearly every major news outlet as seen in the following examples:

BBC Why Americans Don't Take Sick Days

Washington Post Americans Need to Get Better at Taking Sick Days

New York Times I Never Take a Sick Day

If your contract affords you these days, you signed up to use them. A touring contract can be very brutal. If their contract allows them to take those days off, they are doing exactly what they signed up for when they take them.

We need to do a better job at feeling less entitled. The only time your ticket entitles you to see anyone is if their name is above the title and/or they are the main event, and even then they still have those available sick days and personal/vacation days that they "signed up for."

We can listen to stories about Ethel Merman talking about how in her day you performed no matter what... but that isn't healthy, and we have long since worked on changing many of the work place policies that existed in her hey-day. 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 1/26/23 at 9:23am

hearthemsing22 said: "No. People need to understand touring is a lot. Yes they signed up for it, but most of the time-again, *most* of the time, I have seen very good attendance from the performers. Traveling takes a toll and ALSO most are not used to that. Give them a break. Don't just say "suck it up"."

You're absolutely right that touring is a lot. That's why a lot of people aren't cut out for it and that's fine. But performing in a touring show isn't just about getting up on stage and doing the show--you have to be able to have hardly any off time with lots of travel days included. And that's completely fine if you can't do that, but it's part of the job requirement, so if you can't handle that part of it, don't do the job. If I wasn't okay commuting an hour each way for work, I wouldn't take a job an hour away. The travel and the things you have to do to get ready for a job are part of the job.

And sorry if this was unclear, but I wasn't at all trying to say they can't use their sick days--of course they can. I was referring to the complaining about not having more days between tour stops, etc.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/26/23 at 11:15am

Also, touring is not for everyone. Some performers enjoy while others just do it for the paycheck. Hence why tours tend to have a higher turnover.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/26/23 at 11:52am

I believe touring casts are more susceptible to catching Covid, due to the nature of traveling so often. They have to get on a plane with random’s and don’t travel within a bubble.

I wonder how much longer equity is going to require the Covid tests and what not.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 9:03pm

This doesn’t really have anything to do with the main topic, but something of note is that AEAs current unite the road campaign raises the issue that on some tours the cast, crew, and orchestra don’t get a true rest day. If, for example, they have consecutive 1 week stops they are always traveling on their one day off from the show. The argument is a travel day should not be the same as a rest day, or something across those lines.

I’m curious what the remedy to this would look like. I know for the larger tours, like Wicked and The Lion King, they can take up to the next Wednesday for performances to begin. So, the actors technically have Monday and Tuesday off. Obviously not all tours are able to afford this, especially when they’re doing single week engagements.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/2/23 at 8:36am

Call_me_jorge said: "This doesn’t really have anything to do with the main topic, but something of note is that AEAs current unite the road campaign raises the issue that on some tours the cast, crew, and orchestra don’t get a true rest day. If, for example, they have consecutive 1 week stops they are always traveling on their one day off from the show. The argument is a travel day should not be the same as a rest day, or something across those lines.

I’m curious what the remedy to this would look like. I know for the larger tours, like Wicked and The Lion King, they can take up to the next Wednesday for performances to begin. So, the actors technically have Monday and Tuesday off. Obviously not all tours are able to afford this, especially when they’re doing single week engagements."

I agree, I feel like schedules can definitely change! The only thing I can think of is that less people would be happy with a Wednesday tour production matinee. I'm not sure they'd sell enough tickets? 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/2/23 at 9:16am

hearthemsing22 said: "No. People need to understand touring is a lot. Yes they signed up for it, but most of the time-again, *most* of the time, I have seen very good attendance from the performers. Traveling takes a toll and ALSO most are not used to that. Give them a break. Don't just say "suck it up"."

Here I am, agreeing with you.  Truly.  

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 3/2/23 at 10:11am

Call_me_jorge said: "This doesn’t really have anything to do with the main topic, but something of note is that AEAs current unite the road campaign raises the issue that on some tours the cast, crew, and orchestra don’t get a true rest day. If, for example, they have consecutive 1 week stops they are always traveling on their one day off from the show. The argument is a travel day should not be the same as a rest day, or something across those lines."

That's a great idea in theory, but then these productions almost assuredly lose a performance and lose a day's ticket sales when they're already struggling right now. So the only way this could work is if the actors agree to pay cuts in exchange for the rest day, which we know Equity will never agree to.

[ColdClimateDude]

Posted: 3/2/23 at 11:19am

Giving the cast an extra "rest" day between tour stops is good, in theory.  TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL just arrived in MN and while productions often start on Tuesday, this one opened on a Wednesday with a built-in Thursday matinee.  Opening night, both Tinas were out (one is on extended leave and the other was ill/not available), and so the u/s for both had to go on.  The entire matinee had to be canceled because she couldn't do two shows in a day the following day.  My friends even said on Wednesday there were cast members wearing masks onstage -- which I've never heard of before.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 3/2/23 at 11:22am

ColdClimateDude said: "Giving the cast an extra "rest" day between tour stops is good, in theory. TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL just arrived in MN and while productions often start on Tuesday, this one opened on a Wednesday with a built-in Thursday matinee. Opening night, both Tinas were out (one is on extended leave and the other was ill/not available), and so the u/s for both had to go on. The entire matinee had to be canceled because she couldn't do two shows in a day the following day. My friends even said on Wednesday there were cast members wearing masks onstage -- which I've never heard of before."

Masks onstage isn’t common but does happen.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/2/23 at 3:15pm

Like others have said, touring is a lot. I did a non-union tour right out of college and often we slept on the bus, pulled up to the venue, did a show, back to the hotel, up by 6am and back on the bus to get to the next venue. There were no understudies, we could not really call out - though it happened here and there. It's just a tough gig if you aren't up for the challenges. I think theater has been glamorized, but it's always been a lot of work. 8 shows a week is no joke. You have zero life. 

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 3/2/23 at 3:21pm

Add in, tours play FOUR shows every weekend. Every weekend, aka, the end of their work week, is the longest haul they have each week. It’s a difficult schedule. I plan my subscriptions on Saturday matinee’s as most leads are on then since it’s normally a very well sold performance. That being said, the schedule is so tricky especially with Covid, there are so many factors to why a performer may be out. 

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Posted: 3/3/23 at 5:28pm

...and the "Tina" situation is especially complicated, since two actors alternate in the title role. With both apparently unavailable at the start of the Minneapolis run, the standby went on opening night but the role is such a huge sing that I guess it's not possible to do two shows in a row. So they've canceled several performances, including the Saturday matinee, but the Saturday evening show is going on.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/3/23 at 6:55pm

Broadway61004 said: "quizking101 said: "One trend I've noticed touring performers posting about is that, frequently, their "day off" is spent traveling. One of the ensemblists in the Hadestown tour posted on Instagram about being exhausted since they didn't really have any time to rest between the Sunday show in Kansas City to the Tuesday show in Madison, WI."

I don't mean to sound insensitive here, but that's what they signed up for. That's literally how just about every tour has worked for at least the past 25 years. Not at all saying it isn't difficult or that either working or traveling all 7 days a week isn't exhausting, but if you don't want to or simply can't handle that, don't do a tour. It's part of what you sign up for when you take the job, so complaining about it now isn't going to elicit much sympathy."

Yes, it's not 25 years ago. Contracts for touring are very different post-Covid. Don't expect it to be the same ever again.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/3/23 at 8:25pm

Well, also, realistically, Tina herself wasn’t singing her catalogue 8x a week. These shows should have 3 leads and split it up. It’s just unrealistic. 

[QueenTwinnied]

Posted: 3/3/23 at 10:23pm

ColdClimateDude said: "Giving the cast an extra "rest" day between tour stops is good, in theory. TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL just arrived in MN and while productions often start on Tuesday, this one opened on a Wednesday with a built-in Thursday matinee. Opening night, both Tinas were out (one is on extended leave and the other was ill/not available), and so the u/s for both had to go on. The entire matinee had to be canceled because she couldn't do two shows in a day the following day. My friends even said on Wednesday there were cast members wearing masks onstage -- which I've never heard of before."

That's interesting. I saw Tina recently (Naomi Rodgers was incredible) and there are two Tina understudies listed. 

 

What RippedMan said is a good point because I walked away thinking Tina probably takes a similar toll as a role like Effie White. Both are vocally and physically demanding roles. When I saw Dreamgirls on the West End, Effie was shared by three actresses (Marisha Wallace, Moya Angela, and Karen Mav). Their schedules were posted online and it seemed like a great move for a role like Effie. 

Updated On: 3/4/23 at 10:23 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/3/23 at 10:40pm

Thanks! I just think these juxbox shows are realistic. No one is singing thier catalogue 8x a week. No one. Adjust. It's stupid. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/3/23 at 7:07pm

Actors Equity has approved an impending strike for actors on touring contracts with the broadway league. Unless the league is able to come to an agreement with AEA actors will likely strike. When that will be is still TBD.

[MannPhan24601]

Posted: 4/4/23 at 1:16pm

I know a strike will happen any day from now but is ITW in Philly worth it ? Tickets are $100-200 a pop and it's at the Miller . (I usually spend $35 at the Academy of Music for touring shows )  I really only want to see SJB as she was out when I saw The Cher Show in 2019. 

 

Of course I know it varies on show these days of course and not guaranteed but from what I can find , SD is not happening on this tour which would be a factor on why I'd want to go . It's also Passover for me so I'm already busy 

[noahseestheatre]

Posted: 4/4/23 at 2:19pm

The understudy for Heidi Blickenstaff, Bligh Voth was absolutely phenomenal in JAGGED LITTLE PILL.