Since she first performed in a community play when she was nine years old, Natalie Buster has been pursuing the very thing many little girls dream of: To be a part of a major musical production.

Several years and hundreds of hours of hard work later, Buster is on tour for the fourth time with a major theater production. Performing in Ames on Tuesday with the 42nd Street musical, Buster will be playing the lead role of Dorothy Brock.

Over the weekend she took some time to talk to Pulse about what it’s like to be a touring performer, and here’s what she had to say:

DM: What’s it like being on the road with 42nd Street?

NB: There are good points and bad points. The good points are that we’re a big family. We all kind of take care of each other. I’ve met just some wonderful people, incredibly talented people, that I’m lucky to be working with. By the end of this tour I will have seen almost all 50 states. All of them but New Hampshire and Vermont I will be seeing.

DM: How long does this tour last?

NB: We average about eight shows a week and we’re on the road for nine months, so it lasts for awhile.

DM: How did you first get into the acting bit?

NB: I’ve been acting since I was nine years old. I was in a community theater production of “Annie,” and that’s when the acting bug bit. I enjoyed being on stage, and I didn’t think I would make a career out of it at first. In college I tried out for a production of the musical “A Chorus Line” and I was cast as a leading role. I decided I would do a double major, and after my tenure at the university I moved to New York and I’ve been acting ever since.

DM: What’s it like performing for a college crowd? Is it different than other crowds?

NB: We’ve played in a lot of university cities and I think we have a lot of students that come to the show. I think a lot of the theater students come, and a lot of students just think it’s fun to see a Broadway show coming through town. Those tend to be very good audiences; they get the jokes and they’re not afraid to clap and scream.

DM: What’s the cast like backstage?

NB: We’re definitely like a big family. We really take care of each other and make sure that we’re all healthy and emotionally healthy. For a lot of people, it’s their first time on the road. Those of us that have done it before are trying to help them along the way and make things easier.

DM: How many people are traveling with 42nd Street?

NB: There’s 36 cast members and about 11 orchestra members and about 14 crew members, and whenever we get to a theater, we use the local crew to help with setup of props and costumes and those kind of things.

DM: How did you go about landing your part on this tour?

NB: I had to audition four days in a row and it got narrowed down to me and one other woman for this role. It gets cutthroat because you all want it so badly. When it comes down to it, it’s all a matter of who you fit best with and who you sound best with. At that point, you know you’re talented but it’s all a matter of fitting into their vision.

DM: You have any words of wisdom for theater students?

NB: I think just try everything. I think a lot of times, for me personally, I never know what’s around the corner. I never would have dreamed of being in 42nd Street. It is a tap musical and I don’t tap dance, but I tried it and it worked. The more you try, the more your options are open and the more people see you.

DM: What does the cast do to kick back after a show?

NB: Well, we um . we’re all raging alcoholics. No, I’m just kidding. Lately a lot of us have all gotten addicted to the show “Lost.” We’ve been downloading it or buying the DVDs because we obviously can’t watch it when it airs. We like to hang out, relax and listen to music. A couple of us play guitar so we like to just hang out and play guitar and sing in our rooms.

DM: What do you do when you finish a tour?

NB: I usually like to take about a month getting back to normal. I like eating real food – not fast food, you know. I usually take a week to chill in California and then I go home for a few weeks and then it’s back to New York to audition again.