We've had some announcements of oppurtunities to tour backstage over the last few months, so I was wondering about this.<P>We offer a tour to our very little ones as an "enrichment" activity. Our production team HATES it.<P>How do you all fell about them?

Why does your production team hate them?<BR>Are the tourist like little kids and try to touch everything in sight? Has anyone ever knocked down a prop? Do they eat crackers?<p>[This message has been edited by angela (edited January 11, 2002).]

I think all of the above. The tourists are 6-8 year olds and a number of parent chaperones. The prod. team actually complains about the parents more. They tend to feel that "the rules" don't apply to them because they are adults.

OH BOY-that sounds familiar!

I think 6-8 year olds are old enough not to need their parents with them. Maybe one or two at the most to help the teacher, but really, they're not 4 years old. <P>You could try a trick we used to use for going on outdoor trips with the little ones. Get a long rope and tie lots of knots in it. Each child AND PARENT has to hold one of the knots. That leaves only one hand free to cause trouble...

Just a little off the subject a bit...<BR>But daycare workers and moms here in U.S. use what Sarah mentioned above;only its more like a leash around the childs(2-4 yrs old) wrist.An adult holds on to the other end.<BR> I use to think it was terrible;but children so young can get away so easily,so it looks pretty good to me now.

The number of chaperones is actually requested by the production team. We limit the number to 20 students and 6 chaperones plus the teacher.

I wonder: do companies typically offer backstage tours to subscribers?

My guess is that they are more typically offered to donors/potential donors.

Or students in this case.

I remember years and years ago going on a tour of the backstage area of the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. We were not donors or patrons of any kind...just tourists. As I recall we didn't have reservations. And, I don't remember paying anything either.<P>It was an escorted tour of both sides of the curtain.

Hah! Backstage tour! Only for patrons? Anyone can walk into our backstage area during normal school hours.<BR>

Citibob,<BR>Are your studios are in the same place as your performance space?

I should also clarify that when I said backstage tours are often open to only donors or patrons, I was inferring (from what LMCTech said) that she meant during live performances. Many theaters, particularly historic ones, are open for public tours during non-performance periods- the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, PA, are two that I can think of.

Precisely. These tours are conducted on performance days so the students can actually watch stagehands and performers prepare for the matinee performance that day.<P>The public tours are conducted only during the day during the week when no one is around.<P>I was working at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego where they conducted public tours several days a week. We had one tour guide tell his group that all the workers in the costume shop were volunteers. We barely contained our laughter.