What's a typical day like for a working Broadway Actor or Actress?

For me it's just exhausting. Gym and vocal/dance lessons in the morning and early afternoon. Replying to fan letters and email in the afternoon. Steamed spinach and rice for dinner. Purge. Dash to the theater. Warm ups. Places and HIT IT.

Matinee days are hell.

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This is what was posted on Stephanie's fansite in response to this question when she was still on tour:

"I don't get to sleep until around 2 am so I sleep in pretty late. I usually have a pilates class or physical therapy for about an hour around 1pm. I'll get back to the hotel around 2:30-3pm. I'll check out my emails, answer fan mail, mail out photos, etc... any business stuff I have to attend to. Then I have a little something to eat.

Then it's off to the theatre. I'll give myself about 1 hour or more to prep for the show... start my humidifiers and tea kettle, vocal warm up, stretches, hellos around the theatre, more fan mail/business. Then I'm in "the Chair" a half hour before curtain for wig and make-up.

After the show, I'm still scrubbing the green off when most of the cast and crew has already gone. I'll greet those that are waiting at the stage door and straight off to the hotel. I'll check the email again, have more tea and watch bad, late-night TV.

Not a glamorous life, but the one I have to lead in order to stay strong and healthy. And even then...it's still sometimes not enough. Tour isn't the easiest life on a singer. There's so much beyond our control...climate changes, humidity levels, dust and mold in alot of these older theatres, the dry, stale air in hotel room vents...I know this all seems inconsequential but it's very important when it comes to the the health and the consistency of the voice." - Stephanie J. Block


Now my friend who was on the RAGTIME tour would give you a TOTALLY different answer but that's another story! I think there are a few basic things everyone does to stay in top form for the show, but other than that it's pretty much varied. I am not sure if there is a "typical" day.

Updated On: 6/17/06 at 06:59 PM

I was listening to Stephen Lynch in an interview yesterday and he was actually complaining about the schedule. He also said something about how they play a lot of poker in his dressing room and drink alot after the shows. Not sure if he was kidding or not.

Drinking doesn't seem to be particularly out of the ordinary for preformers. It is a fairly decent way to wind down.

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re: stephen lynch

i think i read somewhere about the poker thing, that they played so much that they received a poker table as an opening night present. i dont know how much drinking they do, they seem to come out the stage door pretty quickly. (atleast at TWS)

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