During the Day He Works in Finance. At Night, He’s a Flying Monkey on Broadway (Exclusive)

During the day, he works in finance. At night, he hits the Broadway stage. Hunter Mikles is a vacation swing for Wicked, meaning he gets called in to perform when other actors have a scheduled absence. Mikles talks exclusively to PEOPLE Magazine about how — and why — he does it. 

Mikles is an account executive in the alternative lending space, where he helps small- and medium-sized businesses get the capital they need. After work, he takes the subway to Broadway, grabs a bite to eat, and gets prepped for the night’s performance. At Wicked, the curtains go up at 7 p.m. 

Mikles doesn’t always know who he will be playing that night, or when he will get the call. He might know weeks in advance or on the day of the show.

“It’s like a unique kind of on-call position. It varies,” he says. “I’ve had hours before. I’ve had months before. Sometimes it’s, ‘Hey, can you come in for a week? We don’t know who you will be, but we just need you as extra coverage in the building.’ That’s where staying sharp on all my tracks comes in handy.”

Although he prefers to have a bit of notice, he’s always ready to go — even during the show.

“There was one show where I started the show as one person and then did a second act as another person,” he shares. “I’ve been hanging out in the dressing room, then you hear the page over the intercom.  ‘Hunter, please get ready.’ You know, the update is that someone is out. Just have to be ready for anything.”

When the performance is over, Mikles typically meets up with his boyfriend, who is in the Book of Mormon, just one block away. They’ll wind down, head home, and then get up and do it all the next day.

Mikles is no stranger to the theater. He was on a tour full-time with Dirty Dancing, did regional productions, and was a swing on the international tour of American in Paris. However, Wicked is the first show where he’s been a vacation swing. 

“I’ve been doing this for about three years now, vacation swinging for Wicked, and now it’s not stressful anymore,” he shares. “When you think about it, like not knowing who you’ll be on stage in front of 2,000 people, that sounds frightening if you’re not used to it. Now that I’ve been doing it, it’s fun, and it’s stimulating for my brain, and it feels normal now.” 

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That sense of comfort has allowed him to explore other skill sets and focus on other aspects of life outside the theater.

“I have another job because I’m a millennial and have tons of student loans,” he explains. “I want to be in a better financial space and have more financial security. Performers have so many more skills than we think we do. We are our own CEO, marketers, agents, and accounting teams.”

Mikles shares advice for those who want to explore doing something similar to him. 

“Please make yourself go to bed on time,” he jokes. “It’s totally possible. We are far more capable than we give ourselves credit for. I’ve surprised myself constantly with what I’ve been able to do just outside of my first career.”

Along with balancing his 9-to-5 schedule and Broadway, Mikles also wrote and published a children’s book with his mom. “I never thought I could do that,” he admits.

“Don’t underestimate the things that you can be capable of. The same way that I learned how to dance and sing and learn all these tracks in a Broadway show, you can learn a new industry. The options are endless,” Mikles continues.

“No matter what anyone else says, chase your passions and your dreams and go after them because it is possible. I have this amazing life that I always dreamed of as a kid. I want to be someone that inspires them the way that someone inspired me.”