ABC General Hospital Set Tour #ABCTVEvent

Where are my General Hospital soap opera fans at? While in LA to cover SOLO A Star Wars Story, I also had the opportunity to visit the ABC General Hospital set to tour the studio. In addition to walking the set (and spotting cast members during a blocking rehearsal), I also watched a sneak peak of the Nurses Ball, and met Executive Producer Frank Valentini and Joshua Swickard who plays “Detective Harrison Chase” on the show.

I was invited as media to cover this event. All opinions are my own.

General Hospital’s Annual Nurses Ball Returns

Tomorrow through Monday, May 21st, watch episodes of the Nurses Ball – Port Charles’ most glamorous charity events, dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness and research. This year, celebrity guest appearances include “The Chew”’s Carla Hall and “The Bachelor”’s Nick Viall. In her debut performance, Hall takes on an infamous role decades in the making; while Viall joins Aurora media maven Nina Clay (Michelle Stafford) on the red carpet, as they welcome viewers into what promises to be a memorable night. From Sam McCall’s (Kelly Monaco) stunning arrival to Sonny Corinthos’ (Maurice Benard) unwavering support and Jason Morgan’s (Steve Burton) tireless search for answers, as well as never-before-seen musical performances and a surprise proposal, the Nurses Ball promises to be this year’s can’t-miss event.

A newcomer to the General Hospital soap, Joshua Swickard, puts on quite the show! Mums the word, so you’ll have to tune in tomorrow through Monday to see what goes down during the special event.

ABC General Hospital Set

Do you recognize this living room? I had the chance to walk the set, exploring this space, the courtroom, bar, hospital and more! Some of the actors were there doing a blocking rehearsal, which means they work through where they will stand and interact with one another during the scene. After that, they get hair and makeup, then film the scenes for that episode.

Myself along with 24 other bloggers also had the opportunity act out our own courtroom scene. I played the stenographer or court reporter. Can you spot me across the room?

Additionally, we had a brief interview with Executive Producer Frank Valentini and Joshua Swickard who plays “Detective Harrison Chase” on ABC’s “General Hospital.” Josh was unaware that his character would sing and dance in an upcoming episode. He came in on weekends to fine-tune his lines for the Nurses Ball. Frank shared that they don’t typically rehearse on weekends, except in special episodes like this.

Other insights we learned were the cast gets their scripts a week in advance to memorize their lines. And while other shows give actors the summer off, General Hospital tends to spread out their time off so they can keep up with the 5 days a week workload.

It was such a nice treat to visit the set and meet a few actors and creators! As a long time Young and the Restless fan, I spotted Billy Miller (who previously played the role of Billy Abbot), and Michelle Stafford (who previously held the role as Phyllis). It’s very common for the actors to cross over to other soap operas.

“General Hospital” celebrated its 55th anniversary on April 1, 2018. It is both the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the longest-running scripted television drama currently in production. “General Hospital” has won the prestigious Emmy® Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama a record 13 times. “General Hospital” was created by Frank and Doris Hursley. Frank Valentini is the executive producer.

“General Hospital” airs weekdays on The ABC Television Network. Check your local listings, streaming or on the app.

I hope you enjoyed this ABC General Hospital tour!

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