I’m Kuya Manzano, a Spanish-Filipino actor and singer, and I have been packing a suitcase for shows since 1998. Zarzuela stages across Spain, a six-month run in Shanghai, a national tour here in the Philippines, out-of-town show weeks with mountains behind the stage. People think touring is glamour. Half of it is. The other half is finding your toothbrush in a dark hotel room at 1 a.m. This is what life on tour has taught me about the craft, and about staying human while you do it.
Where the road has taken Kuya Manzano
I was born in Madrid to a Spanish father and a Filipina mother. As a kid I watched my family’s rehearsals at Repertory, and my mom took me to see plays in London and New York. So the travelling bug and the theatre bug bit me at the same time. Bad luck for my suitcase.
I studied voice and acting in Spain, competing against the whole world, without family around. Then came about 30 zarzuelas and operas in theatres across Spain and Portugal. La Verbena de la Paloma in Galicia. La Calesera and Gigantes y Cabezudos in Logroño. Katiuska in Vitoria. Doña Francisquita and Luisa Fernanda in Madrid. I toured Spain as the lead in Nos vamos de campamento, and as the lead in Save Peter Pan, which we toured around Spain in English. Work also took me to Holland.
When the 2008 crisis dried up work in Spain, I went further. I spent six months in China at the Universal Expo in Shanghai, playing the lead in a very visual show promoting Spain. Yes, there was bullfighting. On a stage. In China. Life is funny.
In 2011, passing through Manila, I dropped by a rehearsal. They were auditioning for someone who could sing opera. I got the part, and the Philippines has been home ever since. Later I played Padre San Vitores in San Pedro Calungsod the musical on a national tour, with a very young cast. One stop was a school campus in Cavite. Every stage counts, even the one in a school. The full list of shows is on my work history page.
Lesson 1: The stage changes every week, so own your basics
On tour, nothing stays the same. New stage, new wings, new floor, new lights, new acoustics. One out-of-town show week went straight from the airport into two rehearsals, and the stage was outdoors with mountains behind it. Beautiful. Also, it rained. I wrote about that week in the last days before opening night.
What travels with you is your basics: your warm-up, your voice, your lines, your marks, your face. Even your makeup changes with the venue, because coloured lights and the distance to the audience change how it reads. I break that down in my theatrical makeup guide. If the basics live in your body, a new stage is an adventure. If they don’t, it is a panic attack with costumes.
Lesson 2: Your voice is your luggage
Planes are dry. Hotel air-con is drier. Rehearsing over dinner is normal on tour, and so is talking too much because everyone is excited. Protect the instrument. Warm up even when the schedule says there’s no time, and keep practising between cities. I still record at home with a USB mic I have had for 15 years. It’s in my post on my home recording setup for singers. Cheap gear, honest ears.
Lesson 3: Language is part of the craft
When I arrived in Manila, I barely spoke English or Tagalog, and people teased my accent. I did zarzuela in Spanish, Peter Pan in English in Spain, and now I work in a country where every sentence is a little Taglish adventure. Each language opens a different door to a character. My accent even helped get me cast as a Spanish priest. Turn the thing they tease you about into a tool. I wrote more about it in the Spanish words hiding in Filipino.
Lesson 4: The cast is your family on the road
In Spain I learned the hard way what it means to be far from family. On tour, the cast and crew become that family. You share vans, meals, rain and nerves. Be the one who is on time, knows the lines and makes the room lighter. Directors notice, and some of them will test you anyway. That’s a whole story in the toughest director I ever had.
Lesson 5: Take care of the body and the head
Touring is a sport. Long days, late meals, strange beds. The body you bring on the road is the body you perform with, so I keep training wherever I can. Here is my bodybuilding workout. The head needs training too: tired actors get dramatic offstage, not only onstage. My mind over matter tips are how I stay sane.
Lesson 6: Enjoy the small things
A towel folded into a flower in the hotel room. Mountains behind the stage. Rain that follows the cast around like a fan. Touring is hard work, but you get to see the world while you do what you love. Spanish by birth, Filipino by heart, and a little bit of every stage I’ve stood on. Not a bad deal.
Life on tour FAQ
Who is Kuya Manzano?
I’m a Spanish-Filipino actor, singer, host, director and producer, performing since 1998. I started on stage in Spain and have lived and worked in the Philippines since 2011. More in my story.
Where has Kuya Manzano performed?
In theatres across Spain and Portugal, in Holland, for six months at the Universal Expo in Shanghai, and across the Philippines, including a national tour of San Pedro Calungsod the musical.
What is the hardest part of touring as an actor?
For me: a new stage every time, protecting the voice while travelling, and being far from family. Strong basics, good habits and a kind cast make it work.
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