Touring Life

It has certainly felt like being back in the grind of Touring Life.

Come From Away is very much settled into its tour, and April saw a handful of weekly venues, where the show arrives at the theatre on a Monday before performing Tuesday-Saturday. Cardiff, Plymouth, Southampton & Oxford all received the show, and we’re now underway in Leeds for a fortnight’s run at the Grand Theatre.

The best way to enjoy touring is a) ensure you have good digs, and b) work out what each city excels at and do as the locals do. The maritime nature of the first three meant enjoying the water’s edge (especially as record high tide hit the ancient harbour of The Barbican in Plymouth), the best fresh seafood and even the chance to stay on a houseboat in Southampton! I hadn’t been to Oxford in almost 20 years, but it was lovely to rediscover its history, fabulous cafes and complete aversion to allowing any vehicular traffic uninhibited travel through its streets.

I have also enjoyed getting further out of each city, or discovering more nightlife, as the schedule of the show affords me some days and evenings away. I have the advantage of touring in a car, and choosing the odd ‘scenic route’ has meant seeing more of the less-accessible corners of the UK.

At the show proper, the Superhero Standbys continue their rehearsals. They have FOUR separate characters to fully learn, and get to do a full technical run (with rehearsal band) for each track. This week in Leeds they ran their third tracks pretty much note-perfect, and can move on to that final role this month. Put simply the tour would not run without their hard work. The company get a week’s holiday this month - I’m off to France to visit my sister - before a run in Birmingham in late May. Still so much to look forward to!