Work Boxes, Luggage, and Kitchens

April 2, 2020July 22, 2021

For those of you that might not know me well, I make my living as the Head Prop Person for the First National Tour of the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. Our version performs across the US and Canada. How the forty-nine members of the traveling company get from city to city is, mostly, a matter of distance. Primarily, we fly commercial airlines, but if the cities are less than 500 miles apart, we might be on a couple of busses. Typically, there is one for the crew and one for the cast/musicians.
We all know the current struggles with airports/security/etc.. I maintain an interest in flying every once in a while as it is a marvel of technology and ingenuity. Also, there is some seriously good people watching that happens at airports surrounding all the various rules, regulations, sense of privilege and emotions. Having said that and knowing I can really only speak for myself, I would guess that most of us would rather bus than fly and the biggest reason has to do with stuff….

I have been on tour, on and off, for 18 years. Among other things, this means I can make two 50-pound suitcases happen like….well, like it’s my job…but what happens to all my stuff that I don’t bring on the plane?…It goes on a truck.

The SHOW moves on the road in eight (53′) trailers driven by a team of truck drivers.

There are lots of variations to boxes out here: Workboxes, Pelicans, trunks, Knaack boxes, lamp crates, gondolas, carts, caddies, and hampers, just to name a few. Most have specific or “typical” functions, i.e.: every company member has a trunk for personal belonging (guess who’s crew moves those), most crew members and management types have workboxes, and wardrobe pieces go in gondolas, etc., but these are just industry norms. Mostly, we make it up based on what case suits the contents and/or the truck pack.

DEH Truck Tails – Early Edition
Los Angeles, CA – October 17, 2018

When your life is on the road, you are constantly packing and this can get overwhelming, really quickly! Whether it be organizing in my mind or designating a space for a new purchase, this life is one of prioritizing and planning. No one really enjoys needing their whole body to close a suitcase…of course sometimes …the definition of “closed” is a little loose in DEH Actor Trunk protocol.

My office is ACTUALLY a box…on wheels.

Exterior of my current workbox. Yes, those are hotel room keys. It’s not that I don’t have the keys to complete both doors.. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to do both, but I’m pretty committed to it now. She still has some scars from a tumble during Fun Home to Lion King shipping. Like most homes, she could use some work, but I still love her.
Moulin Rouge Load Out
Boston, MA – August 22, 2018

Usually, my plane travel days consist of two checked bags, a small carry on suitcase, and a backpack, so I have to choose which pieces travel in which cases, rationalize what I think I’ll need, and factor in when I will have access to what I want. Should it go on a “Day One Truck” or a “Day Two Truck”? Will I really have enough room in my suitcase for those extra shoes this week?(probably not) …Will I even WEAR the extra shoes? (almost definitely not) Is there too much snow on the ground to even consider wheeling a trunk to the hotel this city? Do I even have enough hours off this week for baking cookies at the hotel or will it be better at the theater? Am I really feeling up to a conversation with TSA about frozen meat? Will those veggies travel okay raw or do I have to meal prep on Saturday? FYI, those last few only really apply to me, but I am okay being that weirdo… 🙂

These are Carry On Groceries…What do you prioritize in your carry on?

O’Hare Airport, Chicago, IL
February 2019

What’s in all my various cases and trunks? Well, one of the ways I make it a lifestyle I can sustain is by traveling a sense of home. I travel a full kitchen…in tiny appliance form…separated into manageable sized boxes that I can lift. Appliances and boxes have changed over the years as my kitchens are a constant evolution, but here are a few of my set ups in random cities. Some new, some old, but all of them variations on the same theme:

Prioritizing what matters most to me.