How Cannabis, Mushrooms, and a Focus on Wellness Can Help Broadway’s Best
Aug. 2 2023, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
The stars of the Broadway stage are some of the theater industry’s most elite performers. Many dream of gracing a stage on the Great White Way someday, but very few make it. Yet, the hard work is not over once an actor lands a coveted role.
Broadway actors and actresses often work long hours with heavy dancing, singing that pushes their voices to their limits, and sometimes multiple shows a day. It’s clear that the stars of Broadway, much like elite athletes, need to find a way to relax, unwind, manage their hectic schedules, and quell nerves that can still come — even amid the biggest Broadway stars.
“Something Wonderful”
Broadway performers regularly have to balance incredibly busy schedules, and a good night’s sleep is integral to keeping performers in tip-top shape for the stage. Inesa Ponomariovaite, the owner of Nesa’s Hemp, knows the value of CBD and CBDa (Cannabidiolic acid, which can be stronger than CBD). She believes it’s clear how the products can help hard-working actors and actresses, especially with getting better sleep.
“First, CBDa helps people sleep better, which leads them to have more energy during the daytime to accomplish their goals,” Ponomariovaite says. “This means it can help performers with hectic schedules. Sleeping well is a good start to the day and allows your brain to be more organized, and you’re more productive when your brain is more organized.”
Ponomariovaite is also a champion of the anxiety-easing properties of CBD products. Although it may seem that those who make it to Broadway must never get anxious about a performance or experience stage fright, anxiety is still prevalent — even amid performers who seem to ooze confidence. CBD and CBDa can be employed to ease anxiety.
“There can be a lot of anxiety around performing and memorizing lines,” Ponomariovaite explains. “CBD can help performers stay focused and help remove the anxiety to help them perform better, so it's definitely a major plus for the people that work on Broadway.”
In addition, CBD has been shown to help with inflammation, skin irritation, and hydration — all of which can help performers look their best in the harsh glare of Broadway spotlights. Heavy makeup use, dehydration, and even the sweat that comes with giving it one’s all on the stage can wreak havoc on one’s skin. CBD in the form of creams, tinctures, or even within makeup can be a welcome addition to the beauty regimen for performers.
“Anything Goes”
“The first thing to understand is what a hectic schedule creates in our body,” says Helene Blanchette, president of the Physicians CBD Council. “Hectic schedules mean eating at all hours, often selecting fast-rewarding food, having irregular sleep patterns, and living a daily rush of bursting demand for energy.”
Broadway actors and actresses often maintain a strict diet and exercise regimen to keep themselves in tip-top shape and allow them to weather the hectic runaround of performing.
Apps such as Able are making strides in helping busy performers maintain their healthy diets and touch base with a personalized health coach. Using an easy-to-navigate wellness app like Able in conjunction with various CBD products helps performers structure a life centered on overall wellness, anxiety mitigation, and healthy energy.
Rather than allowing a hectic, demanding schedule to drive one to less-than-healthy options, like drinking, Broadway stars could see a beneficial outlet within CBD. Those interested in protecting their voices — their instruments — likely won’t want to smoke, which makes the variety of ways CBD is available for use an advantage. While CBD is available in smokeable form, it can also be ingested through capsules, oil, and through food or beverages like gummies.
“I prefer to only use CBDa orally because your body is full of those receptors,” says Ponomariovaite. How one chooses to use CBD or CBDa is really a personal choice, but the various options should appeal to a population looking to stay stage-ready.
When seeking something other than a smokable, functional mushroom gummies are also an option. Magic Doze, an Amanita Muscaria mushroom company, touts the benefits of functional mushrooms, many of which could be applied to the needs of performers.
“Functional mushrooms can greatly contribute to a healthier lifestyle as they contain an abundance of nutrients, antioxidants, and compounds that promote overall wellness,” says Magic Doze CEO Elad Smadja. “Our gummies not only make it easier to reap the benefits of these powerful mushrooms but also allow for precise dosing.”
Mushroom use has come a long way since the psychedelic sixties. Magic Doze mushroom gummies contain muscimol — the primary psychoactive compound responsible for its effects — but they do not contain psilocybin or psilocin, which are the active compounds found in psychedelic mushrooms. Much like CBD compared with marijuana, Magic Doze’s mushroom gummies give you the benefit of the mushroom without the extreme psychedelic high.
“There’s No Business Like Show Business”
Working with the discerning tastes of stage actors and actresses could be a challenge for some, but Jorge Olson of Hempacco knows that cannabis has resonated strongly with many famous names, making it an accessible option for Broadway stars. While Olson’s main product is a smokable, he works with several big names like Snoop Dogg, Cheech Marin, and Tommy Chong, to bring their CBD products to the market.
“Each product has its own personality,” says Olson, “much like the customers themselves.” Through HempBox vending machines and white-label options for celebrities invested in CBD ventures, Olson is already tapping into a market of well-known customers.
With the stigma surrounding the use of hemp products waning in recent years, stars of both the stage and screen have been more open about partaking in CBD products.
“Ease on Down the Road”
“Taking CBD daily can help promote a more relaxed, less anxious state of mind,” explains Blanchette. For Broadway stars living a life that many can only imagine, an outlet for a more relaxed sense of being could be career-altering in a positive way. Along with a proper diet, exercise, and rest — all of which are paramount to a stage actor’s wellness regimen — CBD can help actors and actresses be at peak performance, whether it’s opening night or their 100th show of a Broadway run.
There are consistent innovations being made in the CBD space, from the increase in CBDa use to the rise of unique products such as CBD-laden drinks. Broadway stars can derive a wealth of benefits from these various CBD products and bring their best to the stage every night with the help of this little plant derivative.