One of my first gigs after graduating drama school was a show for young people that toured regionally.
It’s strange reflecting back, that for someone who held a hefty load of anxiety about both being away from home and also the dark, I found myself in the unfamiliar theatre wings of some of the more remote parts of WA. Interestingly, I also chose to mark my last night before leaving on tour by watching Wolf Creek for the first time. Oops. My already overworked amygdala was certainly primed and firing before the tour even began.
Touring is often an inherent part of our arts practice. So it makes sense to think about how we can nestle touring into our repertoire of sustainable professional practice skills.
How do we prepare for a tour? What emotional tools will be useful to us during a tour? How can we support our mental health as a touring gig closes and we embrace homecoming?
The wonderful people at The Arts Wellbeing Collective have produced a comprehensive document that seeks to provide some answers to these questions. I enjoyed contributing to the Tour Well guide and am heartened that is available for free. You can download it or order your own copy here.