From MJ the Musical to Ragtime, alum works behind the scenes to help Broadway performers care for their bodies

Theatergoers from all over the world travel to New York to watch “MJ the Musical” on Broadway, eager to experience a live production that brings Michael Jackson’s iconic music, signature dance moves, and journey as an artist to the stage. What they don’t see are the hours of rehearsal and preparation that go into each show, or the people working behind the scenes to make each performance possible. 

Last summer, Laura Hollison ’20 was part of that team.

During her final clinical rotation before earning her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, Hollison worked as the student physical therapist for “MJ the Musical,” providing care for actors and dancers before, during, and after shows.

“A lot of my work was making sure the performers were safe to return to the stage. The actor playing Michael Jackson had to dance in penny loafers for the whole show. Imagine what that does to your body after performing in eight shows a week,” says Hollison, who also provided coverage for other Broadway productions, including “The Lion King” and “Ragtime.” 

Broadway performers push their bodies to the limit and navigate physically demanding production schedules, making injury prevention and recovery essential for sustaining their careers. Whether she was helping a dancer tape up a sprained ankle backstage or developing rehabilitation plans between shows, Hollison’s goal was to help performers make informed decisions about their health. 

“It’s all about giving the patient autonomy while making medical recommendations based on their injury. If I saw something concerning, I gave them advice, but it was their choice on what they wanted to do with it,” Hollison explains. “A lot of times, these performing artists are overworked and underpaid, so for me, creating a safe space for them was really crucial.” 

That understanding came from personal experience. Before caring for performers on Broadway, Hollison was a dancer whose own injury would ultimately lead her to a career in physical therapy.

An accident that changed everything 

Trained in ballet, jazz, and hula since she was 3 years old, Hollison pursued dance at Santa Clara University, performing in the dance department’s productions and immersing herself in the local performing arts community. 

At the same time, she was also considering a career in medicine. She even founded Santa Clara University’s chapter of Delta Epsilon Mu, a fraternity for students interested in healthcare professions.

One day during dance rehearsal, Hollison jumped into the air, expecting to land gracefully as she had done countless times before. Instead, she fell to the floor with her knee caved inward, tearing her ACL. Doctors told her she would need surgery to continue dancing at the collegiate level. After the procedure, Hollison spent months in recovery before she was able to return to the stage.

Her physical therapist tailored every aspect of her rehabilitation to her needs as a trained dancer. Through that experience, Hollison saw firsthand how physical therapy could support performing artists. She realized she wanted to provide that same kind of care.

From dancer to Doctor of Physical Therapy

After graduating from Santa Clara, she enrolled in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles. In graduate school, Hollison completed rotations in hospitals, orthopedic treatment facilities, and pelvic health clinics. Her work with dancers on Broadway reinforced her decision to specialize in performing arts physical therapy. 

Though she could have entered the field as a physical therapist after earning her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and passing licensure exams, she chose to pursue an orthopedic physical therapy residency at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, where she is currently gaining clinical experience before applying for a performing arts physical therapy fellowship.

“The fellowship requires a foundation in either orthopedics or sports medicine. In order to treat a high-level, very specialized population, I need to learn how to treat everybody first,” Hollison says. “In my residency right now, I get to see a little bit of everything—high school athletes, dancers, geriatric individuals. It really teaches me how to be smart in my clinical decisions.”

Hollison will finish her orthopedic residency in February. She hopes to work with performers in New York or Los Angeles before returning home to Hawaii, where she wants to expand access to physical therapy for dancers and share her expertise through teaching.

For Hollison, pursuing multiple interests was key to building her future, and she credits Santa Clara with giving her the support and confidence to explore them all.

“In college, especially, it can be really scary to change your career path when you thought you wanted to do something else,” Hollison says. “But a lot of times, the universe is pointing you in a direction and you just have to follow it and see where it takes you.”