Backstage Tours?

[BroadwayBuff4Life]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 4:06pm

Hey Im an aspiring stage manager and I have never been backstage at a Broadway Theatre before and I have always wanted to. Whenever I go to see a show, I am always watching what goes on offstage more so than onstage! How do people get to go backstage? If you know or you have been backstage, I would really appreciate it! Thank you all so much!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 4:07pm

By knowing someone.

Although, doesn't Wicked have that Behind the Curtain thing? I think that opens some of the backstage stuff to the public.

Updated On: 11/19/07 at 04:07 PM

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 4:08pm

Or by paying $350 to BC/EFA.

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 4:34pm

I've heard that writing a polite letter to the stage manager explaining your situation, telling them what day you're seeing said show, and ask nicely if he/she would be kind enough to show you around, sometimes works.

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 4:34pm

//double post. Updated On: 11/19/07 at 04:34 PM

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 4:40pm

You pretty much have to know someone to get a backstage tour.

I have worked on a few Broadway shows where one of my responsibilities was to give backstage tours when I was at the theatre, and to be honest, unless you have an extremely personal story like a fatal illness or something extreme, all letters requesting a tour are just thrown out.

[missyrose87]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 6:29pm

the wicked behind the emerald curtain does NOT take you backstage- you sit in the theatre and watch videos.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 6:49pm

Hah, well, how's that for a deceiving title?

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 7:00pm

If you know an actor in a show, you can have him or her leave your name with the doorperson and its usually no problem going backstage. I got a personal tour from a friend of mine.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 7:06pm

Although getting backstage is usually reserved for people who actually know someone involved with the show, there's a possibility that a nice letter to the SM or ASM might get you a tour. There's a group in the city called New York Offstage that used to arrange after-show backstage tours and the opportunity to meet castmembers (inside away from the hoards of crazy fans). In fact, the tours were usually given by a castmember, most often a swing. I'm not sure if they're still doing this or not but I know they did them a couple of years ago and the cost was approximately $75.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 7:43pm

Yes, you really have to no someone. It's actually for insurance purposes that backstage tours aren't just given to anyone.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 10:58pm

Again, as everyone said, you have to know someone. Most stage door attendants have a list of what cast/crew member has a party coming in and the names of the people in that party.

I have heard that stagehands at a couple shows here or there have taken people waiting around the barricades a long time backstage, but that's few and far between.

[Dover]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 12:28am

I'm a stage manager (sorry, not working on Bway at the moment -- for once this is a good thing because my show is actually open) You might not get anywhere, but a nice letter to the stage manager can help. It depends on the individual show and the individual SM. It does work sometimes. Whether that's only 1% of the time, I don't know. But I've done plenty of tours for people who have done basically that, so it does happen.