Lately, I’ve had a bunch of people asking me how to land a drum chair on a first national tour of a Broadway show. It’s a great question—and it’s not as straightforward as you might think. So I figured it’s time to break it down and share what I’ve learned over the years, both from my own experience and conversations with drummers who’ve been doing it.
These gigs are competitive. They’re high-profile, pay well, and can be a major stepping stone to a Broadway chair or steady work in the theater world. But here’s the thing, there’s usually no job listing on Playbill. You don’t just send in a reel and get the call. These chairs usually go to people who are already in the mix—people who’ve proven themselves, built relationships, and are ready when the opportunity shows up.
In this post, I’d like to share what I know about: how to position yourself, how tour tiers actually work, how contractors make decisions, and how you can become the drummer they call when the seat opens up.
What Is a First National Tour?
A First National Tour is the first large-scale U.S. touring version of a Broadway show. It usually launches within a year or two of the opening in New York and plays major markets across the country: Chicago, L.A., San Francisco, D.C., Boston, Philly—you get the idea.
These aren’t scaled-down productions. They’re high-budget, union-backed, Broadway-quality shows, sometimes with the similar or even the same gear, sets, and orchestrations used in New York.
But not all tours are built the same. Let’s talk about the main types:
The Four Main Types of National Broadway Tours
What Musicians Actually Need to Know
If you’re thinking about touring, understand this upfront: not all “national tours” are the same.
From the outside, they can look identical. From a contractual and financial standpoint, they are very different worlds.
Here’s how the touring landscape actually breaks down.
1. Full Production – Pamphlet B Tours
These are the top-tier, full-production union tours. In practical terms, this is Broadway on the road.
They are covered under the Pamphlet B Touring Theatrical Musicals Agreement of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), which covers musicians employed in touring theatrical musical productions and sets minimum wages, benefits, and working conditions.
In April 2024, touring musicians ratified a successor Pamphlet B and SET agreement, which runs through February 28, 2027 and includes wage increases, improved health and pension contributions, and expanded protections:
https://internationalmusician.org/new-pamphlet-b-agreement-ratified-by-musicians/
Under Pamphlet B, musicians receive:
Guaranteed weekly minimum wages
Per diem
Employer-provided housing
Transportation
Health and welfare contributions
Pension contributions
Detailed rules governing rehearsals, travel days, doublers, cartage, and more
These tours feature full orchestration, union crews, and full production values.
Compensation is built around higher fixed weekly scale. According to TouringBroadwayMusicians, Full Production tours “receive higher weekly wages than SET” and “do not receive overages,” meaning the model is steady and predictable rather than box-office dependent.
FAQ:
https://touringbroadwaymusicians.com/faq
These gigs are widely viewed as career-defining. Solid pay, union protections, pension and health contributions, and a more stable structure.
Important note: the contract defines the tour, not the city. A long sit-down in Chicago or Los Angeles does not automatically mean Full Production. It depends on how the show is contracted.
Touring agreements are renegotiated periodically, so musicians should always confirm current terms directly with the AFM or the applicable local.
2. Short Engagement Touring (SET) – Tiered Pamphlet B
SET tours are also union. They fall under the Short Engagement Touring Theatrical Musicals Agreement, included within the broader Pamphlet B framework.
SET tours differ in several key ways:
Lower base salary than Full Production
Still fully union
Per diem, housing, travel, health, and pension included
Heavier routing, more split weeks, shorter stays
Where SET gets interesting is overages.
TouringBroadwayMusicians explains that musicians on SET tours “receive a lower base salary than full production tours, but share in the profits of the show through overages.”
FAQ:
https://touringbroadwaymusicians.com/faq
Overages are additional payments triggered when weekly grosses exceed certain thresholds. When a show is strong at the box office, overages can significantly increase weekly pay. When it is not, you are working at base scale.
Because of the economic structure, orchestration and scale may differ from Full Production tours. Routing is often more aggressive. But it remains a fully union contract with meaningful protections.
3. Non-Union or Bus-and-Truck Tours
These tours are not covered by AFM contracts.
That means:
No AFM-guaranteed minimum wages
No union health contributions
No union pension contributions
No union contractual protections governing rehearsal, travel, and working conditions
The AFM has written directly about the impact of non-union touring:
https://internationalmusician.org/non-union-touring-shows-weaken-us-all/
In practice, these tours often involve:
One-nighters or split weeks
Heavy travel
Long bus days
Quick load-ins and load-outs
More doubling responsibilities
A drummer might be covering drum set, auxiliary percussion, and playback. Housing may be shared or budget-level. Per diem can be limited or folded into a flat weekly salary.
Many early-career musicians cut their teeth here. It can be a proving ground. You learn discipline quickly.
The key difference is contractual protection. Union tours build structure into the agreement. Non-union tours rely on whatever the producer chooses to provide.
4. Promo, Hybrid, and Short-Run Tours
Some projects do not fit neatly into the national tour model.
These can include:
Short promotional tours tied to an upcoming Broadway production
Limited out-of-town engagements
Developmental runs
Hybrid nonprofit and commercial models
If they are union, they fall under whichever AFM agreement applies to the producer and venue. That might be Pamphlet B, SET, a local theatrical agreement, or another AFM live-performance contract.
If they are not union, terms are negotiated case by case.
Pay, housing, and per diem can vary widely. There is no single standardized touring scale in these situations.
For musicians, these gigs can be strategic. You might get involved early in a project’s life. You might build relationships with creatives and contractors before a show transfers to Broadway or launches a major tour.
They are not always stable long-term, but they can be smart career moves.
The Reality Behind the Contracts
Contracts explain pay structure. They do not explain lifestyle.
Full Production may offer stability.
SET may offer financial upside through overages.
Non-union may offer opportunity and grind.
Hybrid projects may offer access and positioning.
All of them require stamina.
Before you say yes to a tour, ask:
What agreement is this under?
Is there overage participation?
What is the routing like?
What are the housing terms?
How many doublings are required?
Touring can change your life. It can also burn you out.
Know what you’re walking into.
For more, read this: https://touringbroadwaymusicians.com/faq?utm_source=chatgpt.com
I cut my teeth on the bus-and-truck tour of Footloose back in 2000. It wasn’t glamorous, but it taught me how to survive the road and be consistent every night. We were doing six shows in five cities, loading in and out constantly, and dealing with tight quarters and tighter budgets. I learned how to adapt fast, travel light, and still make the music feel good, night after night.
Fast-forward to 2024. I got the chance to sub on the first national tour of Hadestown. That was a different world. The tour ran under a Modified Pamphlet B agreement. It was still a union contract with solid protections, but not quite at the full Set Tour level. These Modified Pamphlet B tours follow a tiered structure, with musicians paid based on how well the show performs at the box office.
And Hadestown was doing really well. REALLY well.
Because it consistently pulled in strong grosses, the tour paid overages. That is extra money added on top of the base salary once the show hit a certain revenue threshold. That’s one of the major benefits of being on a successful union tour: when the show wins, you win. Those overages made a noticeable difference.
If you want to know what that experience was really like—including the moment I realized I’d be sight-reading most of the show in front of 3,000 people—you can read the full story here:
Finding My Way Down To 'Hadestown'
A few weeks ago, one of my colleagues recommended me for a musical being produced and revived this summer. He introduced me to the contractor and music director of the show, and I had a few meetings with them to discuss the show's details. A few days after one of the meetings, David, the contractor, surprised me with an unexpected request. He asked me t…
It’s a wild ride, and I learned a lot from it.
Something To Think About: Start with Your Peers.
Before I go further, let’s talk about something that gets overlooked way too often: your peer group.
If you want to land a national tour, Broadway gig, or even a high-level workshop, the truth is: your colleagues are the ones who will open those doors. Not just contractors. Not casting notices. Not a flashy reel. The people on your level, your fellow players, will recommend you, vouch for you, and put your name in the room when you’re not there.
That’s how it’s always worked for me.
I met Kenny Seymour back in 2009 when he was the music director for Memphis The Musical. We’ve been working together ever since. We’ve built trust over years of gigs, rehearsals, and making music together. That relationship is the reason I’ve been called for countless opportunities since. It’s the same thing with Jason Robert Brown and Jamie Eblen. Jamie’s been playing with JRB forever. Jason trusts him. Kenny trusts me. That connection leads to gigs.
Here’s how this works in the real world: you’re on a pickup gig or a regional show, and the music director ends up booking a reading, then a workshop, and then…boom! The show goes to Broadway or out on tour. Who do they call? The drummer they already know can play. That’s your way in.
So if you’re serious about touring, start building trust with the people you’re playing with right now. You never know who’s going to get the next call, and who they’ll call next.
Want to hear a great story about this in action? Listen to my Broadway Drumming 101 episode with Ron Tierno, where he talks about getting his first tour chair and how those relationships paved the way.
Getting the Chair: What Really Matters
Now that you know the types of tours out there and what to expect, let’s talk about how people actually get hired.
Build Real Relationships With Contractors
Contractors are the gatekeepers. They staff Broadway pits, readings, labs, workshops, and tours. They’re trusted by producers to hire the right musicians.
What they look for:
Musicians who are prepared and professional
Clear and quick communicators
People who bring good energy and no drama
Players who make the MD’s job easier
How do you get their attention? Sub for someone they’ve hired and do an excellent job. Show up early. Be easy to work with. Play well and stay out of the way when it’s time to.
Sub Early While the Show’s Still New
If you want to be in the running for a tour, the best time to sub is during the first few months of the Broadway run. That’s when the creative team is still refining things. If you prove yourself then, you become part of the circle. When the tour launches, they’ll already know you can play the show.
That’s how Q. Robinson got the chair for the Ain’t Too Proud tour. He subbed for me on Broadway, nailed it, and when they were hiring for the road, he was already the obvious choice.
Let People Know You’re Interested
This is simple but important. Don’t assume anyone knows you want the gig. Just say it.
“Hey, I’ve really enjoyed playing this show. If a tour comes up, I’d love to be considered.”
That’s it. You’re not begging. You’re being clear. Quiet professionalism is fine, but silence doesn’t help you get hired.
Be Road-Ready in Every Way
Touring isn’t just about the music. It’s about the gear, the travel, the people, and the business.
Know your equipment. Be ready to adapt to the backline or whatever “or equivalent” gear they may provide. Be the kind of person others want to share a van or green room with. Have your business structure in place—most tours run through payroll companies or want to pay through your corporation. I use Broadway Drumming 101 Inc. and highly recommend you think about setting up your own if you're serious about working at this level.
Final Thoughts
There’s no perfect formula for landing a tour chair. But the best shot you’ve got is by:
Knowing your peer group
Building real trust with contractors and MDs
Subbing early on the Broadway version of the show
Expressing your interest clearly
Showing up with the skills, attitude, and gear to deliver every night
This business runs on relationships. One solid connection can open the next ten doors. That’s how Q. Robinson made it happen. That’s how I’ve made it happen. And that’s how you can do it too.
Want to go deeper?
Check out the Broadway Drumming 101 Podcast and listen to the Paul Hannah episode. He wrote a whole book on being on tour as a show drummer. It’s real-world education, from someone who’s been there:
Podcast #93 - Paul Hannah
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