It’s a city that’s in the middle of the desert and surreal with its Airstream trailers and tepees. Q: Among the many road trips you’ve taken, which one is the most memorable?Ī: The trip I recently took from Austin to Marfa, Texas, stands out. Production managers have to know where to get all that and do research in advance to find out. They may want the best fried chicken or BLT in town. Sometimes a band plays two shows in a city, and in that case, the backstage crew has time the second day to explore.Īlso, in playing my character, I’ve learned that production managers, like Shelli, get to know a lot about the city’s food scene, even if they’re only there for a day, because the singers have demands.
Q: When you’re moving between cities so frequently, as the characters in “Roadies” do, is it possible to get a sense of the local culture?Ī: If a concert is for one night only, then no - there is no time. Someone may pull out a guitar spontaneously and start singing, and everyone joins in. But there is a sense of escape and a meditative nature to watching the scenery go by.Īlso, you’re living in close quarters with a lot of people so there is a sort of campfire feeling. In playing your role, what have you learned about traveling in that setting?Ī: On one hand, it’s arduous because you’re constantly moving from place to place, and the trips are long and include overnights.
Q: The characters in the series move from city to city by bus. recently and saw it from a completely different perspective because I knew what was involved backstage to create that performance. Concertgoers go to shows to have fun and listen to music, but it takes a lot of magic to make that happen. You’re basically managing a moving set and have to re-create it in different venues.