BWW Blog: Amanda Bohlmann - Pre-Show Rituals

Everyone has their own pre-show rituals that they need to do before a show. This year I especially became extremely interested in seeing how other people prepare for shows.

Our call is usually two hours before curtain so we have time to hang out and do soundcheck before we have to get ready for the show. I like to come to the theater with no makeup on and my hair undone. When I get to the theater, I do my hair while I hang around with the rest of the cast and chat. Once it hits an hour before curtain, I go to my little corner backstage and go into my own little world. I sit on the floor, put my headphones in and listen to my pre-show playlist while I do my makeup.

My Top 5 Songs on my Pre-Show Playlist:

1. "All That Matters" from Finding Neverland
2. "Watch What Happens" from Newsies
3. "Turning Into Beautiful" from Murder Ballad
4. "This World Will Remember Us" from Bonnie & Clyde
5. "Stumbling" by Laura Michelle Kelly

My pre-show playlist is a mix of slow songs and songs that pump me up that I usually jump around backstage to. So basically you could see me sitting down taking deep breaths one minute, then jumping around backstage the next minute. I have a lot of songs on my playlist sung by people that inspire me to keep doing what I love. I especially have quite a few songs by Laura Michelle Kelly & Kara Lindsay on my playlist because the two of them continue to inspire me every day to keep doing what I love and to find the joy in every moment. So listening to people I look up to before a show always puts me in a relaxed mindset and it reminds me to go out there and do the best I could do just like they do every night on a Broadway stage.

Before our opening night of Sweeney Todd I walked around to my cast to ask them about their pre-show rituals. No one has one of those crazy pre-show rituals. A lot of them go over their lines before curtain to refresh their memories. Some people like to get pumped up with other cast members by playing games or yelling (it's a great way to get all the tension out). People also go around giving everyone a hug and wishing them a good show. The girls are also often found at the bathroom mirror doing their makeup and singing along to Disney Pandora.

Around our half hour call, the entire cast and crew gathers for what we call the "pulse circle." The pulse circle was started in our theater group during my freshman year when we did Zombie Prom. Our two directors started the tradition then and it has been passed on for the past 3 years. For the pulse circle, we make stand in a circle crossing our arms right over left and holding hands. Someone starts by saying something short about the show night. Then two people get to give a little speech before starting the pulse. Usually the seniors or other members leaving the group get to give a speech. Most of the time it ends in the whole cast holding back tears. Once the last person is done talking, they send out a pulse by squeezing the hands of the people on both sides of them. The two pulses get sent around in the circle until they end up back where they started. Then we all put our hands in the middle and yell some hilariously absurd phrase. That's how we get ready for a show as a whole.

Although pre-show rituals may seem small to some people, to others they are so important. Everyone prepares for shows in different ways. Pre-show rituals are one of my favorite things about backstage because I find it so interesting how everyone prepares for the show. They may seem silly, but they help actors calm down (or in some cases get excited) before they go onstage.