Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Backstage At The Show

Locations in this article:  Chicago, IL London, England Los Angeles, CA

If your kids are the ones who complain about going to the theater or other cultural events, I’ve got a way to get them interested … show them what happens when the performance ISN’T taking place.

Getting behind-the-scenes or after-hours access isn’t as hard as you might think.

Some major venues will actually organize backstage tours, even if you’re not a ticket holder.

The Metropolitan Opera, for example, has regular tours of production areas on weekday afternoons and twice on Sundays. You’ll get to see where the sets are built, costume and makeup departments, and rehearsal rooms to get a sense of how the production comes together.

The Lyric Opera in Chicago has backstage tours three times a year. Even the famous National Theatre in London has backstage experiences that are entirely open to the public.

In Los Angeles, a program called Camp Broadway works with the renowned Center Theatre Group. It’s only $25, and involves small-group workshops with professional cast members. No auditions necessary.

And then there are plenty of venues that host after-show Q&A sessions to explain the process as much as the product. And that’s exactly the type of activity that gets younger audiences interested.

Find out more about great experiences in the Entertainment section.

And check out the rest of our Daily Travel Tips here.