If you go to a show at the Fox Theatre, you’ll more than likely be dazzled by what you see on stage. But, behind the scenes, things aren’t nearly so glamorous.
Being an actor on a national tour can be exciting, but also draining. It’s a chance to see different places all over the country, but it also takes you away from your family and friends for long stretches of time. So, how do these performers make the road feel like home? What do they do with their downtime? What are they looking forward to in Atlanta?
I recently spoke with three performers – Jackson Goad, Bailey Frankenberg, and Aubrie-Mei Rubel – who will soon be coming through the Fox with the national touring productions of “Shucked” and “Peter Pan.” Between complaining about the pollen and sharing restaurant recommendations, I got the skinny on what life is like for touring actors and what these three are looking forward to in Atlanta.
Getting acclimated to home on the road
All three performers have been with their respective productions for different amounts of time and therefore are at different stages in their tour-acclimation journeys. For Goad, who is a part of the ensemble and understudies two roles, “Shucked” is his first major gig. The show started previews in October of last year and began moving from city to city in November.
“Some parts of the life, you get down immediately. They just become second nature to you,” Goad said. “Some parts are never quite the easiest. It’s always constantly moving. It can be tricky.”
One of the worst parts, he said, is getting used to waking up in an entirely different timezone and environment from the day before. When you’re a singer, the smallest changes in weather and elevation can make a big difference.
“You get a week in South Carolina, and then you go straight back up to Schenectady [New York],” Goad said, laughing. “It’s like, I just stopped using lotion on my hands. Why are we back here?”
Touring vets might have had more time to get used to the lifestyle, but even they can feel a little shaky on their feet sometimes. Frankenberg, who plays Tiger Lily in “Peter Pan,” has been with the show since Halloween of 2023. The show started touring in earnest in early 2024.
“Every few weeks I would upgrade something. Okay, I need a new suitcase. Then I got Roku,” Frankenberg said. “I feel like I’m still learning, but I’ve gotten it down. I think it took maybe six months to really hone in on, this is the perfect structure.”
For Rubel, who plays Wendy in “Peter Pan,” the experience has been slightly different. Before joining the show (when we spoke, she had only been with the show for about two and a half weeks), she was touring with Theater for Young Audiences for roughly a year and a half. Instead of staying in every city for about a week, she was moving around to a new place every single day.
“It’s very different to stay in a city for a week. I’ve been quite enjoying it,” Rubel said. “It’s been a little bit easier. I’m like, oh I can actually unpack and not live out of a suitcase!”
Weekly Schedule
A touring performer’s schedule is dependent on a variety of factors, including how long they’ve been with the show and how long the show has been on tour. Goad said as “Shucked” has continued on tour, the rehearsal schedule has become less intense.
“When you’re in rehearsals, it’s like 10 a.m. to 5 p.m,” he said. “You’re rehearsing, you’re dancing all day, you’re on your feet, you’re exhausted. You’re writing down notes, you’re changing notes. So you go home and you study.”
As an understudy, Goad also had understudy rehearsal a couple of times a week for the first few months. Now, he said, it’s more like an understudy rehearsal every couple of weeks.
“For the first leg of the journey, the only real free days you get are Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, and Friday,” Goad said. In general, Thursday is a rehearsal day, with two-show days on Saturday and Sunday.
Frankenberg, who serves as a flight captain for “Peter Pan,” said that recently she hadn’t had too much downtime because of the amount of new actors who needed to be trained on the show’s flight aspects. As a flight captain, she usually comes into the theater around 3 p.m. on Tuesdays to do fly training, meaning running through the different flight aspects of the show in the new space and training any local operators who might need it. Wednesday through Friday, the cast generally has the ability to explore whatever city they’re in, or relax if need be.
What to do in Atlanta
Since joining the “Peter Pan” tour, Rubel hasn’t had too much time to explore new cities – for the first couple of weeks, she was in rehearsals all day and then watching the show at night. But when she gets to Atlanta, that should change.
Rubel, who has never been to Atlanta before, said there’s one big thing she’s looking forward to.
“I am quite excited for the aquarium,” she said. “I hear you guys have a great aquarium, and I love an aquarium.”
Rubel isn’t the only one. According to all three actors, touring cast members usually have the option to stay in company-provided hotels, the location of which can vary depending on the city. Goad said that during the “Shucked” stop in Knoxville, Tenn., the hotel was about 30 feet away from the theater’s stage door entrance, whereas in other cities it might be a 15-minute drive via rental car. Cast members can opt out of the company housing, however, if they have family in the city or want to do something other than a hotel.
Goad is an Athens native, but his family is a little too far away for him to stay at home, he said. He doesn’t mind, however – he wants to stay right in the middle of Atlanta, and plans to make a stop at home too.
“I’ve been joking with my castmates, not only do I have an itinerary for one of the days in Atlanta … we’re going to rent a car and drive to Athens,” Goad said.
The Atlanta itinerary includes a stop at the Georgia Aquarium in the morning, a stop at The Varsity for lunch (“Varsity is an absolute must,” he said), and the afternoon spent outside in Pemberton Place, or maybe in Centennial Olympic Park.
Outside time is also big for Frankenberg. She and her fiancé (who is also on the “Peter Pan” tour with her), live in Hapeville, and are excited to be able to stay at their own home with their cat and their roommate.
“I’m hoping that the weather is nice enough that I can take my paddleboard out to Stone Mountain,” Frankenberg said. “I would love to hike Stone Mountain or go to the nature preserve and walk through the trees. We’re big fans of walking on the Beltline.”
Frankenberg also said she has hundreds of restaurants saved on her phone. Some of her favorites include Little Bear and Bomb Biscuit.
“We recently finally went to Bomb Biscuit,” Frankenberg said. “And it really was the best biscuit of my life.”
While exploring new places is part of the fun of being on tour, it’s also important to know your limits.
“I’m a big proponent of exploring. I really love travel, so I really like finding things in the city,” Rubel said. “But it certainly is a balance, because, as I’ve realized, it’s very tiring. To get rest is very important.”
Figuring out how to manage that balance sometimes takes a little self control.
“There are times when people are going out and I have to regulate myself and be like, no, Aubrie-Mei!” she said. “You need rest.”
Travel Hacks
When it comes to touring, there’s no “one size fits all” solution.
“Everyone’s gotta do it their own way,” Goad said. “Everyone has a life before touring, so you’ve got your own little capitulations you’ve gotta make for you.”
For Rubel, being able to travel light is part of her success.
“I only have one suitcase,” she said. “I know a lot of my cast members have two, but I just find it easier to do one. I’ve learned how to manage my space in my suitcase very well.”
Frankenberg has also learned the value of a good set of packing cubes, as well as a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. She has also learned that when it comes to coffee, there are just some things she can’t compromise on.
“I travel with a little tiny frother that whips some oat milk up for me,” she said. “Now I’m at the point where I travel with coffee and a French press.”
Goad’s best advice though, is to have something to fill your relaxation time that is completely unrelated to touring – something that can take your mind off the rush of the road.
“I took up whittling in Houston, I got a recent gaming system that I’m loving – just something that reminds you of your old life, or your family, or wherever your home base is,” he said.
