AMAZING GRACE National Tour?!- Page 2

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 11:30am

I’ve toured with non-Eq shows in the past (not as an actor, so I was paid considerably more since other departments/unions actually look out for their members) and I couldn’t understand how the actors did what they did. This schedule is far worse than anything I’ve ever seen and I feel so awful for the crew in particular who probably won’t get any sleep at all (or have time to even shower) with the load-ins and load-outs.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 11:34am

"I’ve toured with non-Eq shows in the past ... and I couldn’t understand how the actors did what they did."

It's called "being desperate to be an actor." And some of them enjoy it enormously.

[musikman]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 12:21pm

You're right that there are definitely some ridiculous travel days (they go from San Bernardino to Alto, NM on back to back days? It's over 800 miles so I hope their flight isn't canceled), but sometimes these tours are so bare bones that they do not travel with any crew whatsoever beyond a company manager, stage manager, and *maybe* a TD.  All other crew (stagehands, wig/hair, makeup, day work, load-in/out) are picked up locally and become a documented expense that the theatres must cover, so at least they'll be well rested?

Tours like these will continue to happen as long as there are theatres that will pay for them, actors who agree to perform in them, and producers/production companies who are willing to try and make a quick buck at the expense of their performers' well being. On the flip side, you can say these tours allow smaller secondary or tertiary towns to bring in shows that they never would have otherwise been able to afford or present

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 12:28pm

I did a tour similar to this right out of college and I had a blast. I was 23, and sleeping on a bus was fun, etc. And I got to see the country and play in some gorgeous theaters. Would I go back and do it again? Probably not now, but it was fun for what it was. 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 12:41pm

newintown said: ""I’ve toured with non-Eq shows in the past ... and I couldn’t understand how the actors did what they did."

It's called "being desperate to be an actor." And some of them enjoy it enormously."

I didn’t ask why, I asked how. It takes a great deal out of you to perform this much, and many inexperienced performers don’t know how to sustain eight shows a week, let alone seven days in a row for over a month at a time. I understand this is a great opportunity for an actor to say they were on the first national tour (is that what we’re calling this?) of a show. But this is a barbaric schedule. This is why there’s that #AskIfItsEquity movement. To me, it’s never been about the quality of performances but about the treatment of the performers and fair wages.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 12:44pm

I can't speak for this tour, as I don't even know who is producing it, but our schedule was hectic, but we never spent the night on the bus, and we were treated pretty great. Good hotels, enough days off in a week, enough time before the show, etc. Very rarely did we pull up to a venue after driving all day and then do a show. I think that only happened like once. I'm not sure how this tour is going to go as it's pretty vocally demanding and he's fairly young.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 12:46pm

I think the how and the why are the same thing here. I remember being right out of college, and working with "indestructible" young actors who could belt high Bs and dance The Spanish Panic all day long and never feel the effects any more than a slight huskiness in the morning. Youth, enthusiasm, adrenaline, etc. It's after we hit 30 that we start to wonder how we did all that at all.

Updated On: 10/25/17 at 12:46 PM

[raddersons]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 1:53pm

bowtie7 said: "Are the producers of this self-presenting the show at some/many/nearly all of the theatres listed on the tour? (By self-presenting I mean renting the theatre outright rather than working with a local theatre or presenter.) In St Louis, (where most national tours play 2 weeks at the Fox Theatre) it is playing one night at the Peabody Opera House but isn't listed with the Peabody's own, limited Broadway season (1 or 2 nights of Elf, Kinky Boots, Buddy Holly Story, & Gentleman's Guide). It is actually scheduled the night after Gentleman's Guide is playing. All of this seems very strange."

I would not be surprised if this was the case. From what I understand about the show, it was the pet project of a super rich Christian guy who thinks it is brilliant. He basically self-funded the show's out of town tryout, and Broadway run... and now, probably non-equity tour.

[IronMan]

Posted: 10/25/17 at 2:00pm

$450/week? Seriously? It's ironic that a show about the evils of slavery is paying such a pittance for this hellish schedule. I wouldn't have accepted that 25 years ago. 

[markypoo]

Posted: 10/26/17 at 1:07pm

It's not too dissimilar from someone who's masochistic enough to go to work for some retailer for 9 bucks an hour, and experience hellish conditions in exchange for eating money.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 3:14pm

Have there been any press shots or videos of this? I’d really like to see how they adapted this for the tour.

[newintown]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 3:33pm

If you visit the show site (http://amazinggracemusical.com/), you'll see that there may be no actual tour, only a sit down at "Museum of the Bible" in DC, and 3 days in New Haven (January 19-21). Other cities are listed, but with no way to buy tickets, one can be forgiven skepticism that bookings exist in reality.

A few sort of low-end photos are also on that page.

Updated On: 1/3/18 at 03:33 PM

[trpguyy]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 4:52pm

The tour is still happening, it's currently in rehearsals.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 4:53pm

trpguyy said: "The tour is still happening, it's currently in rehearsals.”

what do you mean it’s currently in rehearsals? It should already be playing.

[wicked4l]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 5:17pm

I know the guy playing the lead. He was only contracted for D.C. So I’m assuming they’re rehearsing new people now.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 6:21pm

Call_me_jorge said: "trpguyy said: "The tour is still happening, it's currently in rehearsals.”

what do you mean it’s currently in rehearsals? It should already be playing."

The DC cast is different than the touring cast.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/28/18 at 3:01pm

I was just looking at the website just to see where the tour was so I could look up pictures on Instagram and the dates of the tour seem much more sporadic than what was initially announced. It seems they have dropped a handful of cities.