Taking Your Act On the Road And Getting It Together

Broadway National Tours employ hundreds of performers over the course of a performance season. These performers must meet extensive demands of frequent travel, an eight-show week performance schedule. The study by Roll and Goffi-Fynn looks at how professional musical theatre singers maintain their voices on a Broadway National Tour.

According to the authors, data collection ended earlier than expected due to Covid-19; however, initial results provide interesting preliminary data. Four lead performers on the same tour filled out surveys in four cities and were interviewed by the researchers. The participants maintain vocal health through hydration, sleep, diet maintenance, and routine exercise. The biggest challenge seemed to be fostering emotional health, specifically maintaining personal relationships, creating community, and finding support.

Roll and Goffi-Fynn state that interestingly the singers in the study did not rely on voice teachers or coaches to help with vocal practice and maintenance. This opens opportunities for voice professionals to advocate for more support for performers to maximize efficiency through vocal warm-ups, cool-downs, and directed exercises specific to each singer. The authors suggest creating peer support groups to counteract loneliness, create community, and participate in vocal conversations.

Given the challenges with the variables while on a national tour, performers need to have strategies for fatigue and illness. Having voice teachers available for consultation in person or over telecommunication could provide helpful support for evasion of vocal issues and preservation of vocal health.