Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I follow a lot of teens who tour with Broadway productions and most of them seem to stay at hotels. But I’ve always wondered who pays for it, so their parents stay with them, etc. I also live somewhere that has a month-long Cirque de Soleil engagement and I’m so curious about where they end up staying.

Thank you for asking, Op. I hope someone has more experience and can tell us more!

A lot of teens? Are you sure? Most teens have aged out of children’s roles (unless they look very young) and most teen roles are played by young adults (bc it’s cheaper for the tour - they don’t have to hire tutors nor are they restricted by child labor laws).

Very sure! I’m a bit of an Annie super fan so that kind of takes one down a rabbithole. It’s easy to see how old they are because they either say so, it’s obvious from the progression of their accounts over time, and they’re constantly celebrating each other’s birthdays.

I was staying at a Hampton Inn a few weeks ago and a group came in who were the crew for a traveling show. Their reservation was booked and they only showed iDs. Didn’t have to give credit cards so it was paid for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live near Norfolk VA and I read something in our paper awhile ago about how they often choose to house cast and crew in houses near the beach. The writer claimed that we sometimes get better traveling Broadway shows and the like because the cast and crew enjoy staying in the beach houses rather than a boring hotel. so if they have to pick between Norfolk and Cleveland, for example, then they choose Norfolk. Interesting!

Sorry, this is not true. Actors typically will not take the specific cities into account when deciding what tour to audition for and often the tour cities are not yet set when casting happens.

Dp- yes. The above post is not true. Actors/ crew aren’t picking cities. That’s ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:I follow a lot of teens who tour with Broadway productions and most of them seem to stay at hotels. But I’ve always wondered who pays for it, so their parents stay with them, etc. I also live somewhere that has a month-long Cirque de Soleil engagement and I’m so curious about where they end up staying.

Thank you for asking, Op. I hope someone has more experience and can tell us more!

A lot of teens? Are you sure? Most teens have aged out of children’s roles (unless they look very young) and most teen roles are played by young adults (bc it’s cheaper for the tour - they don’t have to hire tutors nor are they restricted by child labor laws).

Anonymous wrote:We live near Norfolk VA and I read something in our paper awhile ago about how they often choose to house cast and crew in houses near the beach. The writer claimed that we sometimes get better traveling Broadway shows and the like because the cast and crew enjoy staying in the beach houses rather than a boring hotel. so if they have to pick between Norfolk and Cleveland, for example, then they choose Norfolk. Interesting!

Sorry, this is not true. Actors typically will not take the specific cities into account when deciding what tour to audition for and often the tour cities are not yet set when casting happens.

We live near Norfolk VA and I read something in our paper awhile ago about how they often choose to house cast and crew in houses near the beach. The writer claimed that we sometimes get better traveling Broadway shows and the like because the cast and crew enjoy staying in the beach houses rather than a boring hotel. so if they have to pick between Norfolk and Cleveland, for example, then they choose Norfolk. Interesting!

Anonymous wrote:I know someone in one of the touring casts of Hamilton. He almost always rents something through AirBnB. For kids on your, they usually get an extra stipend to accommodate the cost of a parent but it’s not much at all.

I’m this poster. On Equity contracts actors get a weekly salary plus a stipend for lodging and meals.

I know someone in one of the touring casts of Hamilton. He almost always rents something through AirBnB. For kids on your, they usually get an extra stipend to accommodate the cost of a parent but it’s not much at all.

I don’t know the answer but I have seen some of these folks on insta with their dogs in various cities. You would think the production would negotiate long term hotel stay housing, but maybe they just get a stipend and arrange their own airbnbs.

Playbill has a recent article listing equity and non-equity shows. Smaller cities especially may only get non-equity shows, but, even bigger cities like DC get non-equity productions sometimes. Sometimes these shows switch from equity to non-equity in the middle of the tour as well. I think equity shows tend to have better leads (better pay of course).

I follow a lot of teens who tour with Broadway productions and most of them seem to stay at hotels. But I’ve always wondered who pays for it, so their parents stay with them, etc. I also live somewhere that has a month-long Cirque de Soleil engagement and I’m so curious about where they end up staying.

Thank you for asking, Op. I hope someone has more experience and can tell us more!

If single and non-union, some will try to shack up with a local they meet on dating apps. It's a good way to save on the housing cost. If you're on the apps when a new show comes to the Kennedy Center, you'll get a flood of new people (some of whom explicitly state that they are here for work with a Broadway show).

It's insane to me that these folks don't get housing covered by the production.

Hotels or long term rentals.

A lot depends on whether the cast/crew is union or not.

If they are union, the show usually provides lodging, although it isn't high end and most will have to share a room. There are usually stipends for meals or meals provided. Transportation too, if needed.

If they are not union, it could be anything. I've seen audition notices that specify that no housing will be provided, so either you have to be local or you have to be willing/able to cover that cost. One of these was at the Kennedy Center, so I wouldn't assume a bigger venue means more things are covered for the cast/crew.

Saw one of the big traveling shows recently at the Kennedy Center, and after I found myself thinking about the business of show business.

For a show that might be in town a month or so, where do the performers and crew stay?
Does the show put them all up in hotels? Or apartments? Are they all in generally the same place?
Is their compensation adjusted for covering lodging? What about meals?
Do they have to room with others?
Is it different if you're a featured performer vs ensemble vs crew?
I imagine the Kennedy Center touring shows (and National theater, others?) is different than a smaller theater? (though i guess smaller theaters don't host a show for a month+, more like a week max?).

I imagine the business of it is very different than if you are cast (or crew) for a local show - a locally produced show casts from the surrounding area and people go to their homes at the end.

Not a stalker of the latest big show actors, I promise I won't show up at the hotel (or wherever) just really curious of the logistics of how this all gets put together. Lots of logistics to juggle to stay financially viable.

Also how much do performers and crew make?