Tropical Sno is the newest role for actor Seth Golay

Unless a unique theater opportunity comes along during the winter months when his shaved-ice shops are closed for the winter, Seth Golay – at age 35, a veteran musical-comedy performer in Kansas City – has traded his stage career for the more lucrative business of…snow cones.

The Pitch wrote about Golay’s venture into the flavored-ice business – which he owns with his longtime partner Jason Kralicek, the managing director of the Unicorn Theatre – three years ago, after they purchased the Tropical Sno hut (and franchise) in Martin City, at 13416 Holmes. Golay and Kralicek did well enough that first season to pay off their loan. Now the duo are in the process of opening a second location, this time it’s a brick-and-mortar venue in Waldo, at 222 West 85th Street (in the strip mall anchored by Chelly’s Cafe and the Corner Cocktail Lounge); this new Tropical Sno is scheduled to open at the end of April.

Last year, Golay became even more involved with the Utah-based parent company of the Tropical Sno brand. He was hired as one of four dealer relationship managers who travel the country; Golay’s territory includes the Dakotas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. This job requires a great deal of traveling, making it impossible for Golay to make any long-term theater commitments.

“An actor’s life can be precarious,” Golay says. “You don’t know if you’re going to get cast in a show or even considered for a part. And one of the theaters in Kansas City, the American Heartland Theatre, closed last year, making it even harder for performers to find steady work. I like traveling for Tropical Sno, and our own first little hut – it’s only 8-foot-by-12-foot – has been a great investment.”

The new Waldo location will be considerably larger, but Golay and Kralicek are keeping the operation a carryout-only operation; there will be no tables inside the storefront. They do plan to add an additional frozen item to their repertoire: a Frazil. “It’s like a slushie,” Golay says.

And yes, Golay will continue to hire local actors as professional snow-cone employees in both stores.

“There is a theatrical component to what we do here,” Golay says.