Out of town Tryouts

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/19/05 at 4:09pm

How do out of town tryouts work? Does the cast all stay in one hotel? Do the producers pay for the hotel or does the cast? Doesn't that get somewhat expensive? Thanks.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/19/05 at 4:16pm

The production pays for the hotel and meals (all actors, musicians and crew get a per diem). It is very expensive which is why shows rarely do long tryouts with multiple stops anymore (up until a couple of decades ago, it was part of the normal course of business for shows to hit several towns before Broadway -- Boston, New Haven, Philadelphia etc...).

Posted: 5/19/05 at 4:23pm

For a great look at how this works, may I suggest "Act One" by Moss Hart, one of the greatest theatrical biographies ever. Moss Hart went on to be an author & director, with incredible triumphs in both areas, but this book covers the years leading up to his first success. After years of incredible poverty, he goes 'out of town' with a play he's written and discovers that if he eats at the hotel his food will be charged to his room and paid for by the producer. He describes eating multiple meals at one sitting--Lobsters, steaks, lamb chops, baked alaska, whole pies.