Say you’re standing in on location and you need to use the bathroom. You ask a PA where the bathrooms are, and the PA directs you to something called “the honeywagon.”
When you finally figure out what that is, you can’t tell which door is the bathroom!
This post should help you figure all this out … so you can go!
First, the Honeywagon
Example of a honeywagon
The honeywagon — or “the honey” for short — is a trailer that will usually have several staircases leading off of it. It’s a “trailer” in the sense of a tractor trailer rather than the trailer a lead actor will go to.
Usually a few of these staircases lead up to small dressing rooms for actors. Oftentimes these actors are dayplaying on the production. Their characters’ names may be written on the doors.
Another of these staircases may lead to a room out of which PAs and ADs operate. If you arrive to location but can’t find where to check in, looking for this room on the honeywagon may be a good place to seek direction.
Lucy and Desi
Bathrooms on a Haddad’s Honeywagon
Then you will also find staircases on the honeywagon leading up to men’s and women’s washrooms.
Their doors may not be clearly labeled “Men” or “Women” — perhaps to discourage non-production people from using them.
Haddad’s — a popular provider of trucking for the television and film industry — labels their washrooms after the main actors of the television series I Love Lucy. That is, the women’s washroom is labeled “Lucy” after Lucille Ball, and the men’s washroom is labeled “Desi” after Desi Arnaz.
Other companies may label their washrooms differently. But if you see doors with signs that indicate opposite sexes, there’s a good chance one of those is the bathroom you need.
Notes of Caution
The bathrooms on a honeywagon are not public restrooms. They are reserved for those people on the production crew or those otherwise involved with production — including stand-ins.
Sometimes honeywagons are positioned far away from set, which may mean it’s helpful not only to know where the honeywagon is but also to scope out a restroom that may be closer to set. Sometimes there will be one, and sometimes there won’t be!
In the case of a honeywagon positioned far from set being the only restroom, be mindful of times to break away to go to the restroom. Communicate to the 2nd 2nd AD or a PA that you need to find a time to go; that person should help in letting you find an ideal time to step off set. Whatever the case, always let an AD or PA know you need to step off to use the restroom so production knows where you are.
What labels for bathrooms have you seen on honeywagon doors? Let us know by posting below!
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