A Day in the Life of a Tecumseh! actor

CHILLICOTHE — With a live audience, action scenes, an open-air stage and horses the Tecumseh! outdoor drama has lots going on for the audience and the actors this is why actors like Caio Ferreira Santos practice the show long before it is ever performed in front of a crowd each season.

Santos plays Red Horse and Kothee in this season of the show. Now 25 years old Santos has been acting since the sixth grade so he knows his way around a stage, still, he said working on Sugarloaf Mountain is an entirely new experience.

"This is not like any other theater I've done in the past," said Santos.

To prepare for the over 50 shows he will be in this summer Santos read about his characters as much as he could, talking with previous cast members also helped him get into the right mindset on how to best portray the first Americans and their history.

Even with his preparation, Santos said it was a "big adjustment" moving to the mountain as a majority of the actors all live in and work at the same place thanks to several small cabins with minimal items offered to workers. Some actors came prepared loading their cars with any and all comfort items to make their cabins feel more like home, others like Santos who had to fly here came with significantly less, meaning they had to go without or rely on friends to take them to store in the area for what they need.

While working and living together, almost constantly sharing spaces, the cast and crew became quick friends creating inside jokes and a bond that will help them throughout the entire summer. Santos said it helped him know he made the right decision when return cast members said they went through the same things he did when they first came to the mountain.

"Everyone here is very family-orientated," said Santos.

Many of the actors on the show have secondary jobs on the mountain helping where needed, for Santos his secondary job is that of a horse handler for the eight horses that live on the mountain and participate in the shows. Much like making new friends being around the horses has helped Santos adjust to life on the mountain. He has enjoyed spending time with the smart creatures and getting to know each of their personalities.

"I really enjoy the horse handling," said Santos. "I'm a big animal person."

During the summer each day for an actor will look a little different depending on what is scheduled. During practice weeks the group will often gather to work on scenes and receive notes on what went well and what needs to be changed.

Actors then follow their schedule of working backstage, taking lunch and working again. One task actors routinely do is brushing and fixing their wigs before every performance. This can take a variety of time depending on how many wigs and how intricate of a hairstyle is needed. The task is needed to ensure the wigs stay in good shape and can be used over and over again every night.

After fixing his wigs Santos visits the wardrobe room to check in with department heads offering any help they need. Before shows start the department is buzzing with workers all trying to add finishing touches to the costumes.

Santos said brushing the wigs and sewing in the wardrobe department are easy repetitive tasks that allow him to clear his mind before practice.

Once weekly shows start actors' schedules change dramatically as they are given more free time throughout the day but have to be ready five nights a week to perform the show in front of a live audience. While this may give them more time to get groceries or learn the Shawnee language, something Santos and other actors have been doing to incorporate more history into the show, they are working just as much making sure each performance is a great one.

Before going out on stage for each show Santos said he likes to clear his mind and relax, much like he does when doing tasks during rehearsal weeks, and try to get into the mindset of the character he is portraying. He is then able to go out and put on a performance for audience members that he can be proud of.

About the Series

A Day in the Life is a series shadowing those with unique and interesting jobs. If you or someone you know has a job that fits this description let us know by emailing SReeves@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: See a behind the scenes look at a day in the life of a Tecumseh! actor