CU PT ALUMNI on Broadway!

After graduating from the CU Physical Therapy Program, our alumni have taken a variety of unique career paths. Two of our alumni from the Class of 2017, Samantha (Sammi) Harmon, PT, DPT ’17, and Kyle Miller, PT, DPT ’17, are official physical therapists for Broadway tours. Dr. Harmon is currently touring with Frozen, and Dr. Miller is touring with Wicked in addition to previous service with other Broadway tours since graduation.

Tell us about your time with the CU Physical Therapy Program?

Dr. Harmon: I was lucky to attend CUPT in my hometown of Aurora, CO, and that they also had some of the best faculty who truly cared about our success in and out of the classroom. My clinical advisor worked with me to complete one of my clinical rotations with a CI who specialized in dance medicine, which was invaluable to my career.

Dr. Miller: The time spent there really prepared me to go in any direction that I wanted to within the field. I am forever grateful to the faculty and my classmates for helping to shape the foundation of who I am today as a Physical Therapist.

Before you became the physical therapists for a Broadway tour, what was your career path?

Dr. Harmon: I was attracted to a career in PT due to my experience working with PTs as a pre-professional and professional ballet dancer, so I knew I wanted to go into performing arts medicine. I worked in an outpatient orthopedic clinic right out of school and began working with some dancers because of my connections to the dance community in the Denver area. About 10 months after graduation, I also was hired on as a PRN PT with Colorado Ballet, which helped me develop a lot of skills specific to performing artists and exposed me to backstage work.

Dr. Miller: I came into this position relatively early on in my career. After graduating from the CUPT program, I worked in an outpatient private practice clinic where I predominantly worked with a variety of orthopedic conditions across the lifespan. I knew going into PT school that I wanted to work with high-level athletes, so I was trying to set myself up with the groundwork to approach this goal. I always had my ears open in case any opportunities presented themselves.

How did you end up getting hired with a Broadway tour? How long have you been touring with your respective shows?

Dr. Harmon: NeuroTour, the company I work for, found me through the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS), of which I have been a member since 2017. I did a video interview with them in late 2021, and I began touring with Frozen in May of 2022!

Dr. Miller: I actually found out about my current position while I was on my final clinical rotation. The APTA newsletter had a podcast where a PT was talking about her experiences working with one of the touring companies of Hamilton and I thought it sounded like a neat prospect. At the time, I did not pursue it right away, but knew I was interested. After some time working in a clinic, I decided to send in an application. I work for a third-party company which contracts PTs to different touring shows. I had a couple of phone interviews and then they flew me out for an in-person interview and to do some skills demonstrations. Once I was hired, I went through an in-house development program aimed at progressing skills and treatment for dancers and singers. I have been touring with different Broadway productions since October 2018. I am currently on the road with the national tour of Wicked and have been since July 2021. In the past, I travelled full-time with STOMP and Hello, Dolly!.

Other shows I have done work with include Hamilton, Aladdin, Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, Miss Saigon, The Band’s Visit, The Sound of Music, and Blue Man Group.

What does a typical day look like for a Broadway show physical therapist?

Dr. Harmon: I arrive at the theater and start treating the cast and crew 2 hours before showtime. I treat through the show, where I have appointments and also “walk-ins” and screen any emergencies. Sometimes, if I don’t have a patient during the show, I will watch part of it backstage! I think I have memorized every line of Frozen.

Dr. Miller: We generally function on a 6-day workweek with Mondays being “dark”, meaning there is no show that day and we have the day off. One thing very different about this job is that the work hours don’t begin until the evening. Apart from the weekend when we usually have 2 shows in a day, most of our shows are at 7:30 or 8:00pm, so I get the perk of having the daytime to explore the cities that we travel to. My workday begins 2 hours before curtain when I have 30-minute treatment sessions before the show available to the cast and crew. Throughout the show, I continue with treatment sessions for those that are not on stage at the time or in the show that night. There are also times when you get called to the sides of the stage because someone got hurt on-stage during the show and you might only have anywhere from 45 seconds to a couple of minutes to provide quick treatment or determine that they should not go back on stage due to safety concerns for themselves and the other performers.

Do you work with all the performers, or just ones who have sustained injuries, or are having other physical issues?

Dr. Harmon: I work with most of the performers, but it is up to them if they would like to sign up for a session with me. We work with both chronic and acute injuries for the cast, orchestra, and crew. The nice thing about our company is that we do not go through health insurance, so we can also do “maintenance” sessions, which is important for injury prevention because the cast performs 8 times a week. Some of the roles are especially physically demanding, particularly our “Sven” the reindeer, who is basically in a plank on stilts in a very heavy costume. I see each of our Svens (we have two people who alternate in the role) 3 times a week to help keep them going!

Dr. Miller: We work with EVERYONE in the production. For Wicked that is around 70 people. That includes the performers, the crew, the management team, the wardrobe department, the hair department, etc. However, for the shows I’ve worked with, the schedule primarily consists of the performers. A large portion of what my job is revolves around maintenance and prevention, trying to identify and treat possible impairments and injuries before they occur and manage general aches and pains. As the performers participate in 8 shows each week, there are a lot of imbalances and overuse injuries that occur, and we work to resolve those so they can stay on stage and keep performing.

Is there anything that surprised you after you were hired with your respective shows?

Dr. Harmon: Learning the Broadway touring schedule and lifestyle… These artists perform 8 shows a week, we only have one day off per week, and the show tours year-round! Much of the sports medicine research about training/recovery time is not necessarily applicable to this population because the demands are so different. I was also honestly surprised how supportive the cast and crew are to each other. The actors are all lovely, kind, caring people, not the “drama queens” that I think many people may imagine!

Dr. Miller: I think the thing that surprised me the most is how much physical stress and demand the performers put their bodies through to be at this level. I, personally, do not have a background in dance or theater, so it has been interesting to see all the work that goes into a show of this caliber and how physically prepared the performers are. Between 8 shows, rehearsals, and personal fitness routines each week, they do a lot to stay at this elite level of performance.

Tell us a little bit about what life is like on the road, and the experience of travelling from city-to-city?

Dr. Harmon: Our schedule varies, but our stay in each city lasts anywhere from 2-7 weeks. Our travel day is usually on Monday; most of the time we fly between cities, unless they are close together, in which case we have a chartered bus. I begin unpacking my road box and setting up the PT room in the theater the afternoon before our first performance. We have 8 shows per week most weeks, so it is very busy! During the week we usually just have shows in the evening, so that gives me time to explore each city we are in, which I really enjoy.

Dr. Miller: I have been through the ringer when it comes to travel. STOMP played roughly 46 cities in the 26 weeks that I was with them. Sometimes we travelled up to 4 times in the same week! Now, with Wicked, we spend at least 2 weeks in a city before traveling to the next. You really learn what things are valuable to you when you only get 2 suitcases to live from. Living arrangements vary from hotels, to Air BnBs, to corporate housing, and more. You have to enjoy the travel aspect of the job because you definitely do a lot of it. Now for the other part, exploring the different cities is one of the best parts of my job. As I mentioned earlier, the workday does not begin until the evening, so you can fill your day however you want to. I have spent days at amusement parks, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, skiing, and enjoying the sun on the beach. I have been to science museums, driven a NASCAR stock car, explored national and state parks, and the FOOD IS AMAZING! One of the most fun things to do is find good food and there is plenty of good food to be found. You can really make the experience what you want it to be.

How did the CU Physical Therapy Program prepare you for your current roles?

Dr. Harmon: The musculoskeletal curriculum and instruction at CU is really incredible, and I don’t think I fully appreciated how top-notch it is until I graduated. The hands-on instruction we received from professors and lab assistants in addition to our weeks of clinical rotations gave me the confidence I needed to take on a wide variety of patient populations. I feel like I already had such a solid foundation as a new grad that I was able to build upon with continuing-education courses and training specific to performing arts.

Dr. Miller: Most of my work is with the musculoskeletal system and I feel that the MSK track at CU is very strong and gave me a fantastic toolbox to be in the position I am in. I am the only medical provider that travels with the show and sometimes that requires screening and assessment of the other body systems. I’ve had to identify and assess people with acute fractures, possible cardiac events, and concussion symptoms. You never really know what might happen day-to-day. The program at CU does a great job of preparing you to be a well-rounded PT.

What advice would you give to current physical therapy students, especially those who may be considering non-conventional career paths within the field?

Dr. Harmon: Work hard and glean all you can from your amazing professors! But also, do not worry about trying to master every single technique you learn in school, as you will learn what works best for you and continue to add to your own repertoire. I think the most important thing in pursuing a nontraditional career path is to network and really be open to new opportunities. I did not necessarily see myself working with Broadway performers or touring full time, but I feel so blessed that my career path has led me here and that I get to work with such amazing artists every day. Most importantly, if you have the desire to work in a certain field, keep putting yourself out there and it will happen!

Dr. Miller: If you have got an interest in something, pursue it. Just because you do not have a background in something does not mean that you cannot learn. If someone tells you no, keep pushing until you find a yes. Keep your ears open for opportunities and do not be afraid to say yes and try something new.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Dr. Harmon: I would love to thank ALL of the CUPT faculty for their brilliance, support, and for believing in me! The more I have talked to PTs from other programs, the more I have realized how truly outstanding our faculty are, not just for their teaching/clinical skills but for the care they show their students. I would not be in this position without all of you.