What is a typical day like for a Broadway actor?

[JP4]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 4:26am

What do they do? Haha, just wondering... it would be great if someone with self-experience could answer this, but i dont know how likely THAT is. But I'm just curious as to what they do during the day and even after the curtains close at the end of the night. ??? Thanks!!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 4:38am

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=962396

[B3TA07]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 4:46am

Why would we know? We're all the people who never made it and are bitter

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 4:49am

I imagine they spend a majority of their day avoiding the stalkers from this board.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 5:11am

Or on facebook, ignoring the 10 eager responses they'll get from fans within 30 seconds of posting a new status.

[cglaid]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 6:51am

Amen B3TA07. Definitely my biggest pet peeve. I removed all Broadway performers from Facebook because every time I looked at their pages, I was embarrassed for all those instant status repliers.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 9:34am

See, I dont' think they mind that....or they wouldn't have "friended" fans. And if it does get ridiculous they can fix that easily.

Many actors have private AND public FB just for that reason. If they have friended gads of fans and continue to put personal stuff up...that's their problem.


What do YOU do when you aren't at work? Pay bills, go shopping, hit the gym, watch tv, take classes, pursue hobbies, meet friends. Sometimes they have appearances and auditions and additional rehearsals, but the time they are not req'd at the theater is their own free time.

What do YOU do after work? Go home, go out, meet people, get a drink, hang with co-workers, sleep, eat, avoid the fans -- ok,THAT one doesn't apply to all of us!

Not so complicated really.

Updated On: 1/11/09 at 09:34 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 9:34am

Double post!

Updated On: 1/11/09 at 09:34 AM

[Manny2]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 12:30pm

It kind of depends on the day.

On a Monday: wake up (anytime before 11), have breakfast, call your agent, go to any auditions you may have planned, go to the gym, have dinner (early, before 5), and leave so you get to the theatre half an hour before the hour call.

Afterwards, just go home and sleep (mind you, bed time is usually like 12 or 1 in the morning).

Some people take classes, do yoga, go to the park, just breathe...very normal things.

Weekends are usually spent mostly in the theatre. Some spend intermission napping in their dressing room, others go out to get a bite, but they always stay within close range of the theatre.

Nights off are usually just spent doing what they enjoy. Everyone has different interests, and does different things. It's not like they all have a "thing" that they all do or don't do, they're people just like you and me. Updated On: 1/11/09 at 12:30 PM

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 1:30pm

Manny2 - perhaps a day other than a Monday as most theaters are dark that night?

[Manny2]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 1:36pm

Well the "Monday" could be any day of the week, it was just the first day of the week that came to my head.

That's what most Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays look like but as I said before, it varies.

Instead of going to the gym, some people go to vocal or acting training. Some people don't leave their apartments, others just chill with friends. It's their free time, and they are very much aware of that, so depending on the person they'll spend it as they see fit.

Updated On: 1/11/09 at 01:36 PM

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 2:20pm

Thanks for the insight. What are some books which contain stories and anecdotes relating to this topic? from RC in Austin, Texas

[Celra]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:14pm

they avoid me and people like me.

That is what they do.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:20pm

1: Wake up at 1:00 pm (on a non-matinee day).
2: Toss out date that styed the night (or hooker, depending)
3: Coffee and cigarettes for breakfast.
4: Lurk on BWW until your call time.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:21pm

I wonder how many of them actually do read this

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:23pm

There have been quite a few performers who have posted in the past. Including Anthony Rapp and Orfeh. Though Orfeh was defending herself.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:27pm

Remember how badly everyone treated Carly Jibson when she signed on?

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:29pm

Yeah, what was up with that?


Natascia Diaz and Terra Macleod also joined before to defend themselves.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:32pm

Didn't Emma Zak join or something?

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:33pm

Carly just signed on to thanks people for their kind posts and good reviews when she was doing Hairspray, and people didn't believe it was her and treated her like crap.

She still says, "I should go back under a different name and kick some ass."

I told her she should.

[danmag]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:35pm

Funny, Diva. That sounded like my typical day.

[LongLegs]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 3:43pm

It's not a rare occurrence. Yes, many of us read the BWW message boards (as well as those awful Broadway Secrets post cards... yuck) Believe it or not, it's often a hot topic in the dressing rooms. For those of you who think that performers have much better things to do with their time than to lurk the message boards... well, they don't. Haha.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 1/11/09 at 7:17pm

Since I've been a BWW member, I've come to expect the best and worst in people. I can only imagine what performers must think when they read some of the nasty and snarky comments that are made about them. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory. I've learned to tune out the most outrageous comments: usually about individual actors and their looks or how a certain show/performer is not meeting their expectations early on in previews. (And yes, I will continue to mention Nick Adams from time to time.) It is up to actors to decide whether they want to swim in these shark infested waters. (Not all BWW members are like that.) But ultimately, they have more important things to do: like completing their daily necessities and concentrating on delivering their best possible performances in their respective shows. I admire Broadway performers for their efforts: onstage and off. Best of luck! from RC in Austin, Texas...

Updated On: 1/11/09 at 07:17 PM

[B3TA07]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 1:51am

dramamama611 - to clarify, I find it more amusing than totally annoying. I mean it's cute. And I do at times succumb to the temptation (later to regret it when I get 17 notifications about people replying after me).

And I love Carly Jibson! How rude...