OK, another question for you all. In my extensive experience of 4 years am-dram, and involvement with 3 clubs, there has never been an official understudy. I've often wondered if these clubs have ever run into problems with this, but they don't seem to. How many out there use understudies routinely, and if so, do they always get a performance (eg. sat mat)? Does it take up extra time during rehearsals having to go through things twice every time? Does the extra bit of competition spur on the main lead to greater things or harder work? Has anybody discovered a really good talent by having an understudy, who may not have auditioned well, but then shines in rehearsals and performance?

So many questions...

Funnily enough, I suffered this for the first time late last year. A big local group with their own theatre, had to cancel a performance because the leading lady had been taken to hospital. there was no one available or able to take her place. A bit embarassing as we took friends there.
The KLP have always managed to get by, even once with multiple problems! There was the classic time when both the SM and I think the director stepped in !
A few years ago I lit Merry Wives. The lead was taken ill about two weeks before and someone was found who "read" the part. Amazingly it looked great, then he is a good actor, so it just looked part of the character.

Like Nick, whilst we have never had the luxury of appointing actual understudies, there have been a few instances where cast members have missed one or more performances for a variety of reasons (mostly health related) and someone, eiother a promotee from the chorus or the director has had to step in to fill the breach. I'm not sure how we'd go about the process of having official understudies. It's a luxury I feel that we'll never have

Forgive me for cutting and pasting from another topic but here's one from me from a while ago.

This might be a bit different when it comes to plays but a musical group I was once involved with had problems with primadonna's and used Understudies as a very good way of getting people to shape up.

You find in most musicals you get a pyramid effect starting with principles, then others who have a slightly smaller part, then cameos and finally chorus, so each tier is understudied by someone from the one below it. so if someone dropped out or couldn't make one rehersal or heaven forbid couldn't make the show or simply pi$$ed off the director and needed to be replaced, everyone could easily shift around until the director, or one of the production team could fill in as a member of the chorus.

It helped in rehersals because if you had someone with a song or lines missing one night the understudy could fill in for the night therefore cementing the scenes for them ... as an understudy there is always that glimmer of possibility that you might end up doing the part, so understudies tended to learn the lines and give it their all - any opportunity to show that they probably should have been picked for the part in the first place. On the other hand people who had speaking parts or principle roles always had that threat in the background so leant their lines and put their all into each rehearsal because they felt that they needed to show that they deserved to be in the part they had.

it's not fool proof and in Amdram there isn't often a time when you have to replace someone but it was a great incentive all round

I smiled when I read this. It reads really well and I read this in the context Grooveymover intended.
It's amazing how well people tend to read/act when they find out that such a person read in for them in their absence. We don;t have understudies but in the case of the woman who missed 6 in row and then opted out (see "sacking actors" thread) it helped that the part was being read in each week by the same person so that person (actually it was me) ended up learning the part unintentionally. The rest of the cast also had some consistency. It is interesting when people read in. You try not to imitate the person but if you've seen how that character is developing each week and how the actor is making that chararter his/own with intonation and accent etc, it's more fun to read in and enjoy it.
If we have new people along to the group, we might say, why not read in (if you'd like to) for such a person. It breaks the ice and the new person feels like he/she did something instead of sitting around. Plus it gives them a chance to be heard reading.

Lou

I can definitely see how having an understudy would improve performances. Do most companies assure the understudy of at least one performance? I have experienced one person saying they didn't want to put in all the effort of learning a part to understudy if they would only get to perform the role in case of emergency, which seems to happen quite infrequently. I can understand that feeling (even if it isn't very "team-minded"), but on the other hand, if a run only consists of, say, 4 performances, to take one away from the the appointed lead seems a bit much.

we've never used an understudy, although we have replaced a part the week before a show (king and i)

Pantheon used understudies for Jesus Christ Superstar as they were worried about people's voices holding out. my ex understudied jesus, judas, peter, simon and pilate, which i personally though was taking the p. He wasnt guaranteed a show. When they did it the second time round 6 months later they guaranteed the understudies the two matinees, (if they were up to it) Tim didnt do it as he was so cheesed off with the company and the production team by that time. Not sure if any of the understudies actually went on, as I hated the production the first time, so didnt go second time.

xx

My general run is 3 performances, so I have encountered the same issue. You need to be prepared in case the unfortunate should happen, but you don't want to waste your time rehearsing when someone won't perform the part.

I generally have my leads understudied by my supporting actors, and my supporting actors understudied by my bit parts. I have my stage manager or myself understudy the bit part. If an actor misses a rehearsal, I move the understudies into the new positions. I require my understudies to keep the blocking for the other characters as well as attend all rehearsals. As I have a problem with actors talking in the background during rehearsal [see Things that annoy directors thread], I use my understudies as a weapon in shaping up the disobedient.

Since they have the honor and privilege of being the understudy, my actors have to be ready to step into the role at a moment's notice. I also try to leave some time available in tech week in case I have to rehearse an understudy at the last minute. If nothing else, I'll take over a tech rehearsal and send my stage manager out in the lobby to rehearse the replacement actor.

I expect my actors to be up on their blocking and characterization. I expect them to talk to the actors they are understudying about characterization and background info. However, I do not guarantee performances in those roles. It's just not fair to the person who was assigned the role in the first place. I also don't do "double casting" and have half the cast in one role one night and swap to another the next night.

One of my colleagues did actually swap out actors for 1 performance of a 3-performance run, and it worked against them. This director didn't have enough time to rehearse both casts, so neither performance was stunning.

I hope this answers your questions.

We had the news yesterday that our Frederick has decided his throat is unlikely to hold out and, having asked about having an understudy, has been replaced. With only 4 weeks to go this could be awkward but the good news is the replacement is a well respected member who often MDs for us will actually - in my opinion - be much better suited.

If you use people from the cast to understudy then they're always going to get to be on stage in their original role, it's not like anyone is going to be sitting in a dressing room for the week.

As an understudy in amdram you have to realise that you'll probably never get to actually do the part ... just the way amdram goes and why people rarely have understudies for shows. but then that leads to the problem of the understudy not bothering to prepare and letting the side down if they're ever called to take another part. I think it's just a matter of choosing your people wisely, after a few shows you'll know who you can rely on and who is going to muck you around.

Just to clear up what Pamelaj has stated. Her ex tim ONLY understudied Judus and was not asked back for the re run of the show. There we understudies for Jesus, Mary, Peter, Simon and Judus. Each part had a different understudy. The second cast as they were called in the second run went on for two performances. One mat and one evening.

We will need to agree to disagree on that one - i know what I was told at the time, and what music he was asked to learn. (whether officially or unofficially)

Not entirely sure calling it a second cast makes any difference, but thats just my HO.


xx

Hey, "clarifications" from "anonymous sources". I love this!

Can I be Gordon Brown, please?

regards,
/alan

With pleasure - I certainly donlt want to be!

Not that I want to get in to a disagrement but what you were told was wrong. Tim ONLY unterstudied Judas and if he took it on his self to learn other music that is fine. But he was never asked to to learn it. But we will leave it at that. Just watch what you say which you profess as truth when in fact it is not. End of.

Cheers

As I say, we will agree to disagree - whether officially or unofficially, I know what he was asked to learn, and for what its worth, will stand by my original post.

Just as a matter of interest who would ask someone to understudy that amount of roles unofficially as I know for a fact it is want not officially. Just as a matter of interest.

Understudies and Costumes:

Just a random thought.

Would it really be better for every member of the cast to "understudy up" than to have an independant understudy? Surely (IMO) it's better to have one guy reading in than the whole cast shifted. And what about all the costumes that used to fit ?


In my soc the budget for a musical is over ?25000. That's a lot of risk should we have to pull a show (as the theatre is already paid for / fully booked). But we don't have understudies. I guess nobody would do it (unless it guaranteed them a principal part next time?). I've heard say that if the worst happened they would ring round other socs who had done the show recently (for a guy who knew the words). Would that work?

H

Could I politely suggest that as Pamela and Glasgow have both had the opportunity to put their side of the story, that Pamela's eminently sensible suggestion that you agree to disagree should be applied, and that the exchange be stopped? There is clearly no mileage in continuing.

Thank you

Robin



Ask Pamela and Alan.

I seem to recall that in a society for whom I did 'Allo 'Allo, one of the girls who played peasant/customer etc. was asked to understudy all the female parts.

I guess it would depend on how thoroughly you would want someone to understudy. If you want a word perfect, song perfect understudy then it would make sense to have one understudy per part or couple of parts. If, however, you would be prepared to send someone on with the book in the event of a cast catastrophe, then one person could be asked to understudy several roles. All they would then need to know is a rough idea of the plotting and the songs (which, let's face it, many of us would know simply by watching at rehearsals under normal circumstances). There are many societies for whom it just would not be possible to have one understudy per role because there just aren't enough good people to cover.

Some local amateur Opera groups Double-Cast all main principal parts. That way there are no understudies as such, all get to perform, but if anyone goes ill there is a de-facto replacement available from the other shift.

Again, it must have implications on costume costs (unless you double-cast by physique).
I don't think they say which is the First and Second
string.

H

yup, worked for us - alhough to be fair alan hadnt done the part before, and learned it up for the show



*pointedly doesnt continue the argument )*

xx