Healthy Touring Checklist and Rider

Touring, working away from home and managing changes to your usual routine, are often fundamental to a profession in the performing arts. As much as they are exhilarating, these times can also be intense and tiring. Health problems which are unmanaged can be exacerbated, and new health problems can arise. Evidence from research tells us that around 75% of performers will have a health problem that impacts on their work during their career span. Like many athletes who use their bodies intensively, physical problems and pain are common. As freelancers, performing arts professionals often have no choice other than to attempt to maintain their careers, continuing to work while suffering from and managing physical symptoms. These problems are exacerbated by, and contribute to, psychosocial and mental health issues. The touring environment, with pressures relating to travel, working late, lack of sleep, poor diet, disruption to normal routines, stress on relationships and the high demands artists and crew make on themselves, can all lead, potentially, to deteriorating mental health. Schedules often mean that healthcare is not available when most needed.

All of these factors can impact on the success of performances, the longer-term sustainability of a career and the individuals themselves.

Planning how to maintain health while away from home or touring can help to mitigate risk and avoid preventable problems. It is helpful to think about constructive strategies for preparing to perform, coping with issues such as performance stress, work-life balance and isolation, and improving general wellbeing on the road.

BAPAM’s Healthy Touring Checklist has been developed as the result of a review of the evidence, consultation with experts, and an evaluation of a series of healthy touring sessions with artists awarded funding by Help Musicians to support touring.

The Healthy Touring Checklist can be used by artists and managers as part of planning for a tour or time away from home. It includes suggestions for a Health Rider to help people involved with the tour to support artists to remain healthy.

Healthy Touring Checklist

Are you:

• Maintaining a healthy diet?
• Getting enough sleep?
• Maintaining relationships whilst away?
• Doing regular exercise?
• Moderating or stopping use of alcohol or drugs?
• Limiting your exposure to loud sound and using ear plugs?
• Looking after your sexual health?
• Dealing with conflict when it arises?
• Recognising signs of stress or illness?

Have you:

• Ordered enough medication for the tour/engagement (if required)?
• Sorted insurance?
• Organised quiet/safe spaces before the show if you need them?
• Factored recovery time into the schedule?
• Planned how to maintain a comfortable level of cleanliness including laundering clothes?
• Made a plan for your own downtime?
• Made sure you know if your band or ensemble members have any health needs they would like support with?
• Identified any health problems and had a clinical assessment and advice before you go?

Do you have:

• A pre-performance routine?
• A realistic expectation about how shows may go?
• A plan for how to interact with fans or audience members after the show?
• A social media plan?
• A plan for what you’ll do after the tour/show when you get back home?

Are you:

• Looking after your vocal health?
• Doing warm-ups before a show?
• Doing cool-downs after a show?

Creating a Health Rider

Including some basic health requirements in a rider can make it easier to maintain your health, as well as helping managers, promoters and venues support you in staying healthy and giving your best performance.

Use the Healthy Touring Checklist above to define some of the facilities you will need. Examples of items to include in a health rider are below. Not all of these will be possible, or relevant to you, but it is well worth thinking about how to help others to keep you healthy.

Scheduling: Downtime needs to be scheduled into the tour. Artists will prefer to perform the day after a long journey so that they are properly rested. Everyone is trying to keep fit during the tour and breaks should be scheduled to enable artists to do their exercise of choice.

Space: A quiet space, in the venue or elsewhere, for recovering from travel, preparing for the performance and post-performance recovery.

Food and Drink: Fresh fruit, water and non-alcoholic drink options should be available.

Dietary requirements:

Washing and laundry facilities:

Post-performance:

Press and interviews: Half an hour will be available for this. Please note that vocalists may need to be resting their voices – evidence shows that talking in noisy spaces after a performance is often when vocal damage occurs, so a quiet space for interviews is appreciated.

“Early” nights: Artists are trying to ensure that they get enough sleep over the course of the tour/show and will want to get to bed in a quiet, clean and comfortable place at a reasonable time.

Acknowledgements:

BAPAM Healthy Touring Trainers – Lucy Heyman (Performance Coach, Researcher), Dr Helen Brice (Psychotherapist), Dr Pippa Wheble (GP)

Healthy Touring Panel – Samantha Parker (Music Support), Lucie Caswell (Featured Artists Coalition), Pete Abbott (Tour Manager), Lucy Heyman (Performance Coach, Researcher), Tamsin Embleton (Psychotherapist, Music Industry Therapists Collective), Dr Carol Chapman (Counselling Psychologist), Fiona McGugan (Music Managers Forum), Andy Corrigan (Viva La Visa), Claire Cordeaux, Dan Hayhurst (BAPAM), Claire Gevaux, Joe Hastings, Becci Scotcher, Joe Danher (Help Musicians UK)