WEBVTT - Understudies: Hardest Workers on Broadway? 0:00:01.440 --> 0:00:04.240 Welcome to stuff you should know a production of I 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:14.480 Heart Radio. Hey hey, yeah, and welcome to with the podcast. 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:18.360 Hey yeah, let's go. I'm Josh, and there's Chuck and 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:23.000 Jerry's here and this is the podcast toda. What is 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:26.400 that all about? That was my impression of Broadway. Oh, 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:31.840 I thought that was your understudy, Matt Frederick. I could 0:00:31.840 --> 0:00:34.080 see that Frederick doing the same thing. I didn't know 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:37.120 he was my understudy. Is that right? Is he my successor? Now? 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:39.360 Of course not, there was no successor Ben bowling his 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:42.160 mind on April Fool's Day. Yeah, that was a good one. 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:46.080 But we know that wouldn't fly. No, he got we 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:48.880 loved then. Yeah, of course we don't want to put 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:53.199 him in that situation. How interesting update. So I was 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:56.040 just looking, Josh. The reason I thought to do a 0:00:56.160 --> 0:00:59.840 podcast on understudies is twofold. I was in New York 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:05.040 recently and I went to Broadway and saw Neil Simon's 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:09.399 Plaza Suite with s JP and Matthew Broderick in the 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:13.200 lead roles there, and that together the first time they 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:15.959 have shared the Broadway stage in a couple of decades, 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:18.800 and I think their first lead performances opposite one another 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:22.200 real life husband and wife and it was great and 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:24.919 we had a great time. And uh, two things happened 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:27.119 on that trip. Want to hung out with Joey cra 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:31.600 Are good friend, and Joey was talking about his friend 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:36.600 who was a understudy in Hamilton's I believe the touring 0:01:36.600 --> 0:01:40.560 production but maybe not. Who knew like six different parts 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:44.039 that this gentleman could sub ind for and we talked 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:45.480 a lot about that. Now I was kind of blown 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:48.080 away and it got me thinking about understudies. But then 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:52.520 right after we left New York, Matthew Broderick got COVID 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:55.960 just a week or and a half or two weeks 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:59.280 into his run because we saw the last preview and 0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:04.360 his un or study took over. In a play that 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:08.640 is almost just two people, everyone's going to see this 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:12.160 real life husband and wife on stage, so when the 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:15.920 understudy comes on, it's not great. But I was just 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:18.760 looking to see if I could find his name. And 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:21.960 as of like three days ago, a s JP now 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:27.639 has COVID, so they have just canceled through. Uh when 0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:30.800 they're better, which is like another week or so, which 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:32.960 is something you know that the show must go on. 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:35.600 Is the sort of line and Broadway, and that is 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.960 the whole idea of the understudy is that if someone 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:42.600 is sick or stubs their toe or falls off the stage, 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:46.239 there is someone else there that knows the part that 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:51.040 can immediately step in and play this part um ideally 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:54.040 close to identically as the as the lead or you know, 0:02:54.120 --> 0:02:57.000 even if it's not the lead, any any part. Yeah, 0:02:57.000 --> 0:02:59.799 I saw, I put that understudies or the insurance policies 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:03.520 make sure the show will go on right. But after 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:07.040 reading this and Olivia, who did our Unsung Heroes of 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:12.040 the Court, she got another Unsung Heroes of Broadway article here, uh, 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:16.600 understudies and standbys and the swing, and we'll talk about 0:03:16.600 --> 0:03:20.680 what all these terms mean. They are truly heroes because 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:23.960 it is astounding what they are tasked to be able 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:28.239 to do right. Like true, they don't save people's lives 0:03:28.360 --> 0:03:31.960 or they don't you know, learn proprities or anything like that, 0:03:32.000 --> 0:03:34.480 but they are they are heroes in their own way. 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:37.440 They're certainly the hardest working people in show business if 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:41.080 you ask me. Yeah, And and it will become clear 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:43.160 why because you might just think what you learn a 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:45.040 part and if someone goes down, you do that part. 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:47.520 Oh hang, onto your hats. It is much more than that, 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:51.000 yeah hang on to you, Yeah, I got You're about 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:55.840 to make a joke. So um. So we are talking understudies, 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:58.200 and most people check think that when you're talking about 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:00.800 an understudy, it is like you said, you just you 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:03.000 know a part and if, if some if the star 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:06.760 goes down, you fill in. And it's a pretty thrilling idea, 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:09.119 like you know, somebody getting their shot at a big 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:12.520 break after sitting in the sidelines. Um, and it can 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:15.600 be it can be very um aptly compared to that 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:19.320 backup quarterback who literally is sitting on the sidelines and 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:21.320 they get their chance and they show like what a 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:23.760 great job they're doing. On Broadway, there's the same thing, 0:04:23.800 --> 0:04:26.080 and that is the understudy. But there's a bunch of 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.279 different kinds of understudies, and the one that most people 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:32.440 think of is actually called a standby, which is where 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:39.520 you are the person who knows every single word movement, dialogue, song, um, 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:44.599 blocking que that the lead of that play knows, and 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:48.600 so if that that lead goes down, then you stand in. 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:53.039 But you can go potentially years without ever getting that call, 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:56.440 like over over the run of a place, a multi 0:04:56.520 --> 0:04:58.719 years run it will play. You might be on stage 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:03.159 a handful of times because you're that's your job. Is 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:06.200 that specific. You You've got one role and you're filling 0:05:06.240 --> 0:05:09.920 in for one part only on the basis of some 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:14.240 accident or unforeseeable circumstances happened to the lead, so you 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:16.320 have to step in. That's what most people think of 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:19.800 as an understudy, but in reality, that's actually the job 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:23.440 of the standby, right, and the standby you know, if 0:05:23.480 --> 0:05:26.320 it's like in the case of Plaza Suite, where it 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:30.040 is largely two people on stage at all times you 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:34.279 need another, it's it's probably not going to be some 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:37.159 unknown that's gonna be the standby for either s JP 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.760 or m b uh. And in this case I did 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:42.640 find his name. His name is Michael McGrath. And Michael 0:05:42.680 --> 0:05:45.200 McGrath is a very He's won a Tony Award. He's 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:49.200 a very sort of renowned old school I think five 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:52.360 or six years older than Broadwerick even uh Broadway guy. 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:56.000 So in a situation like this, you have a heavy 0:05:56.080 --> 0:06:00.880 hitter on standby that is um just hoping that Matthew 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:04.320 Broderick gets food poisoning or COVID, right, so he can 0:06:04.320 --> 0:06:08.640 step in there. Uh, And I looked up Sarah Jessica 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:10.359 Parker has an understudy too, and it's kind of a 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:13.000 shame that they canceled. But in the case of that, 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:15.440 you know, you have to make a call as a production, 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:19.520 and when it's your two lead stars and in a 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:23.880 play of two, uh, it's probably the right call to 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:26.120 go ahead and cancel that because what you don't want 0:06:26.120 --> 0:06:28.000 to deal with is a lot of, as you'll see, 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:32.920 unhappy ticket buyers, which happens exactly. So that's a standby, right, 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:35.279 And that's they're what the New York Times called the 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:38.080 most elite type of understudy. Again, that's what I always 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:41.599 thought was an understudy. But an understudy, it turns out, 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:46.400 is somebody who is part of the cast who goes 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:51.280 on usually night after night, well Kenny, but not always okay, 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:54.760 But they are also ready to fill into one or 0:06:54.800 --> 0:06:59.080 more roles, usually a principal role. That's the understudy. Whereas 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:01.559 standby is like you might not even be in the theater, 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:04.080 but you're on call every time that show is on, 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:07.360 and you are expected to be within five minute run 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:10.480 or drive to the theater so you can get there 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:14.360 because something has gone horribly wrong, and understudy is somebody 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:18.640 that's that has a much more frequently attached position at 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:22.680 the theater, and usually it's a role in the ensemble cast. Yeah, 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:24.520 I think they're usually in the cast. I don't think 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:26.800 it has to be a lot of this is determined, 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:30.400 as we'll see, by the Actor's Union for Broadway, which 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:33.680 actor's equity and the deals they work out with producers. 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:36.440 But before you get to those specifics, you also have 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:39.440 your swing. And this is what Joey's friend would be. 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:42.600 A swing can cover a lot of different roles, and 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:45.440 a swing might be like a performer in the chorus, 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:48.920 but can jump up there and play Hamilton's or Jefferson 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:54.520 or Burr at any and this this dude could do that. Uh. 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:58.280 It is one of the more impressive things to accomplish, 0:07:58.360 --> 0:08:01.880 I think, because you know all these parts, you know 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:03.920 all the songs, like you said, you know all the 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:07.360 choreography and the blocking. You've got to know, as Olivia 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:09.240 points out, something you don't even think about, which is 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:13.840 um between between sets. I have to go back and 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:16.080 I gotta know what costume I'm supposed to be in, 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:19.360 and who to talk to, who has that costume? Like, 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:22.320 you've got to know every single part to be able 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:26.200 to seamlessly transition so that no one, I mean they 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:28.720 know because they announced, like you know, in the role 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:32.080 of for Matthew Broderick tonight, the understudy will be performing 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:37.360 and the collective's grown. But uh, had had it not 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:41.000 be for that announcement, in a regular understudy role, you 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:43.720 shouldn't be able to tell the difference, No, because it's 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:46.560 not it's not the star, it's not the lead necessarily right, 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:49.280 Just yeah, you you would never know. But that is 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:52.440 something with the swing. So like, um, they might know 0:08:52.520 --> 0:08:56.920 anywhere between five to a dozen of those roles, and 0:08:56.960 --> 0:09:00.320 like you were saying, each of those roles has different 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:04.080 costume changes, different choreography, different um, different words to to 0:09:04.320 --> 0:09:08.000 say or sing like, and they know all of those 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.840 inside and out. And when you start to understand what 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:12.960 a swing does, then you start to get what I 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:16.240 was saying earlier that they are probably the hardest working 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:19.839 people in show business because and on any given night, 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:22.160 they're ready to go at a moment's notice to to 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:25.200 do those roles, um at the drop of a hat. 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.400 And and it's because they've worked so hard up to 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:31.520 that point. And keep working too. It's not like there's 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:34.640 a time where you can stop and relax. As long 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:38.960 as the show is running um over the course of weeks, months, years, 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:41.720 however long it goes, you have to You have to 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:44.719 basically keep your engine revving, ready to to put it 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:46.800 in to drive all of a sudden, peel out on 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:49.960 the stage, lay rubber from the wings. That's how they 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:52.920 always put it in in the acting world. So that's 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:56.120 the understudy standbys and the swings are also alternates UH. 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:59.200 And this is someone who is scheduled to take the 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:02.840 place of one of the actors in that you might 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:06.520 be in UH Chicago for a three year run and 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:08.520 you're like, I don't do the matinees anymore. We have 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:12.040 an alternate that does my matinees. Everyone knows this going in. 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:14.760 It's not like a sickness or anything happened, or an 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:19.480 injury happened. Tickets half price, UH. So I mentioned the 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:25.000 the Actor's Equity UH and the Broadway producers. They work 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:28.400 through these contracts just like they would with UH SAG 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:32.320 or the Writer's Guild with film and television, and it's 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:35.520 all you know, you don't have a choice on Broadway 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:39.760 of how many understudies and standbys and swing that you hire. 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.840 It's all sort of contractual. You have to hire and 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:47.520 understudy for every single role except for bit players and 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:51.120 in some case stars. Uh. In the case of Plaza Suite, 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:53.520 of course they had understudies. But if it's a one 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:57.440 person show, you're not gonna throw an understudy up there 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:02.680 because it's it's really about that one person's Like, there 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:06.120 may be some leeway there according to like the production 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:10.120 and how they run it, but you're not required to 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:15.080 understudy the star. Yeah. They also, um probably, well, they 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:18.880 don't necessarily need to hire understudies if it's a limited 0:11:19.000 --> 0:11:22.320 run show, like for a few weeks or more. Um. 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:25.920 Anything beyond that though, they probably will need to hire understudies, 0:11:26.120 --> 0:11:28.120 right or if it's off Broadway or in you know, 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:32.960 a third area, uh stage theater, it's all bets are off. 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:35.760 You can do whatever you want. Yeah, you're smart hire understudies, 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:39.040 so yeah, for sure. Um. One of the other things too, 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:41.520 is that you start to get into logistics because if 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:44.760 you're working with understudies and they have a regular role 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:49.080 in the ensemble, if the lead that the understudy is 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:52.679 working under falls ill or sprains their ankle or whatever happens. 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:56.760 Believe me, a lot of stuff happens on Broadway. Um, 0:11:56.840 --> 0:12:00.439 that understudy is no longer filling that role in the ensemble, 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:02.480 which means now you've got to go to your swings 0:12:02.480 --> 0:12:04.600 and does that swing have anything else that they were 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:07.040 doing that you need to bring another swing. And suddenly, 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:11.400 like like like ups route in the middle of a blizzard, 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:17.079 It's like my nightmare. Logistics is like, I those are 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:20.000 the true heroes. To me, you say understudies are true heroes. 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:24.440 I think logisticians who deliver things are like reroute planes. 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:26.679 I think they're the true hero is because I could 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:28.600 not do it. Yeah, and in the case of like 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:30.600 a Hamilton's or a bigger show with a bunch of 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:34.079 people that are singing and dancing, if you have a 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:36.400 a flu that sweeps through you know, let's talk pre 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:38.600 COVID and we'll get to what COVID did to Broadway. 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:41.240 But you know, a flu that sweeps through the cast 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:44.559 and like three people go down in a week. It's 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:48.440 a jinga game as a production because like you said, 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:50.640 you're pulling people from one role to another. Then he'll 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:53.840 fools that who feels that role then who feels that role? 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:55.920 And all of a sudden you're looking at the stage 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:59.480 hand and you're going, can you dance? All right? Have 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.960 you been attention? Rip off of their norm core outfit, 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:05.040 and all of a sudden they're wearing a tight fitting 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:08.560 tuxedo and soft shoes underneath. It's so good, What a 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:13.120 what a story. So let's go back to talking about logisticians. Okay, 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:17.480 but there's an equation, Chuck, that these producers and the 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:19.599 director and everybody, Although I think it's probably up to 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.720 the producers are making. When you start to go down 0:13:23.080 --> 0:13:26.000 the list and you're moving everybody around, Eventually you get 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:28.920 to a point where the show or the cast doesn't 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:32.160 really resemble the cast that the people coming to see 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:35.800 the show are are coming to see. And after a 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:39.600 certain point, it's probably like, um, people are so many 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:42.280 people are gonna ask for a refund or some partial 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:45.000 refund or something that you're better off just giving everybody 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:47.240 some time off and just you know, canceling the show 0:13:47.400 --> 0:13:51.360 for a day or two. Yeah, you know those uh, 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:53.559 I mean, Livia came up with some great examples over 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.320 the years of like when multiple people go down in 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:02.480 there was a cold on this out of Falsettos and 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:05.920 the lead role Stephanie J Block's roll of Trino went down, 0:14:06.520 --> 0:14:10.800 understudy went down, and then there was a swing. Stephanie 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:16.160 umo u m o h um, covering different roles, had 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:18.360 to take the stage in the lead with a two 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:20.800 and a half hour lead time and apparently had to 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:23.520 even use the script on stage, but got a bunch 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:28.200 of um support in cheers from the audience, which, um, 0:14:28.240 --> 0:14:30.640 you know, like we said, audiences can be unkind. But 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:36.680 my experience with Broadway is that theatergoers are understand this 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:40.520 stuff and try to be supportive when something like this happens, 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:44.520 even though they're expectations in their hopes maybe a bit dashed. 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:47.400 Like Livia talks about people booing and stuff like that. 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.920 I wouldn't like to think that happened. I'm sure it has, 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:58.120 but they're all from jersey Bridge and Tunnel Baby. Uh. Generally, 0:14:58.120 --> 0:14:59.800 I think there are more stories of people trying to 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.920 port the people on stage then go ah, what is this? 0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:06.080 I want my money back? Yeah, like clapping for the 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:09.280 person who has to use the script because they're so unprepared. 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:14.480 That's a very meta modernist response to that. Let's take 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:17.400 a break. Okay, then we'll come back and talk about 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:19.240 what kind of money these people make right after this 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:49.200 and things chop and chock stop. Okay, we're back, everybody, 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:59.400 and we are back to talk about moolaw Somolians, cash, clamp, lettuce, cabbage, Uh, 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:03.480 what else? What are the kids saying these days? Bread? Yeah, 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:06.360 they're bringing dead back, aren't they do? I think it's dough. 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:11.400 I can't remember money. We'll say cheese, all right. Uh. 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:17.320 If you are a understudy again with the with the unions, 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:21.400 all of this stuff is um is prescribed how much 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:24.040 you're gonna get paid um, even if you don't take 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:26.840 the stage. It's not like there's like, well you're the understudy, 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:29.960 you didn't ever make it to the main stage, so 0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:32.640 you get a pay cut. That is not the case. 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:36.760 You get a minimum as a Broadway performer. Uh. And 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:40.360 this was as maybe a little bit different now. I'm 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:42.160 not sure if they renegotiate it since then, but two 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:46.440 thousand thirty four dollars a week on an actor's equity 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:51.120 contract on Broadway. Yeah, and so some people who are 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:54.480 in the cast every night, in the ensemble, who have 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:56.920 who go on stage every night, may actually make less 0:16:56.960 --> 0:16:59.760 than a swing who doesn't go on at all. And 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:01.920 if you stop and think about it, that actually makes 0:17:01.960 --> 0:17:04.400 a lot more sense because that one person who's going 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:07.040 on every night in the ensemble knows what's going to 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:10.480 happen that night. They get a chance to like create 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:14.480 their character and like rehearse and understand it. And as 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:17.440 we'll see, like understudies, swings they don't get those kind 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:20.320 of opportunities, and yet they're expected to know not just 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:23.040 one role, but eight roles and be ready to go on. 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:25.679 So it makes a lot more sense. And frankly, I 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.960 think they deserve even more money than they get because 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:32.200 of the requirements of their job. But why would a 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:36.520 swing make more We didn't even say because they have 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.800 to understand and practice and rehearse for more parts. Well, 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:42.760 they get paid more. We never even said that, right, 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:47.199 Swings are in additional pay bumps. Oh, I'm sorry, I 0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:49.920 thought that. I thought that we had kind of established 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.440 that in some way shape or form. No, no, no, no, no. 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:54.960 Your minimum is two thousand, thirty four dollars a week, 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:58.720 and if you were a swing or an understudy, you 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:01.840 make pay bumps. On top of that, swings get a 0:18:01.880 --> 0:18:05.320 hundred and one dollars and seventy cents, or fifteen dollars 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:08.040 if you're a partial swing and an understudy of a 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:11.320 principal role gets an additional fifty four dollars and fifty 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:16.800 cents or understudying ensemble and extra fifteen dollars. Right, So 0:18:16.880 --> 0:18:19.320 take take take what I was saying before, and now 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:22.480 move it to to like right here, because it will 0:18:22.560 --> 0:18:24.720 make more sense now that I've said that. But you 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:28.720 can understand I think that it's I think you should 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:30.960 get a bump for every role that you have, not 0:18:31.040 --> 0:18:35.120 just a bump for having multiple roles. You know, well, yeah, 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:37.159 it'd be great, like if you are a swing for 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:39.800 like six rolls, Yeah, you'd be like a hundred bucks 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:41.679 a people don't don't put me on stage, give me 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:44.760 another role instead. There. I'm sure we have Broadway understudies 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:46.639 listening there. They're probably like, hey, let's get Josh in 0:18:46.680 --> 0:18:51.600 there from this next union negotiation. Yeah, give me a 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:54.119 cigar and like an ill fitting vest and I'll roll 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:56.640 up my shirt sleeves and get down to business. Because 0:18:56.640 --> 0:18:58.600 you're probably the only person that's ever asked for that. 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:03.840 Like I'm a genius. I just came just give them 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:08.960 more money. Uh, if you're preparing for this, I mean there. 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:10.560 You know, depending on who you are as an actor, 0:19:10.560 --> 0:19:13.960 you're gonna have different ways of preparing period. Uh. And 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:17.840 Livia found some good examples of what some people have done. Uh. 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:20.240 There was an actor named j. Douglas in two thousand seven, 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:25.439 a member of Drowsy Chaperone, because that's a laugh out 0:19:25.480 --> 0:19:30.880 loud Broadway title, it is. Uh. He covered two ensemble 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:35.040 actors and stand by, uh in a standby for four principles. 0:19:35.080 --> 0:19:40.120 So that's a lot of work. And Douglas would sit 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:44.480 in the audience at least you know initially, and sit 0:19:44.560 --> 0:19:47.560 there with a with a recorder and quietly record all 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:50.160 the movements and then go home and transcribe this stuff 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:55.159 and then just study, study, study, basically. Yeah, that's one 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:58.840 high stress job court stenographer colliding with another high stress 0:19:58.960 --> 0:20:04.080 job of understudy or swing, you know the job. So 0:20:04.240 --> 0:20:07.040 Jay Douglas um would would take all those notes and 0:20:07.040 --> 0:20:09.600 and create basically like a dossier on each of the 0:20:09.680 --> 0:20:12.679 characters he was expected to fill in for. And so 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:14.760 if you got enough notice, he could like consult the 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:18.040 dossier and you know, refresh his memory of it, like 0:20:18.359 --> 0:20:22.280 if you're an ensemble actor or even a lead like 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:24.879 you probably have one script and that's all you need. 0:20:25.119 --> 0:20:28.240 This this like like Jay Douglas and others would have 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:32.000 like multiple scripts and multiple like workups or write ups 0:20:32.000 --> 0:20:34.119 on their on their different characters that in and of 0:20:34.160 --> 0:20:38.240 itself differentiates them to an astounding degree totally. UM. And 0:20:38.280 --> 0:20:41.320 then you know, besides just learning the stuff all the 0:20:41.359 --> 0:20:44.760 things that we talked about, UM, sometimes it's different accents 0:20:44.800 --> 0:20:46.480 you know that you have to do and kind of 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:51.159 bounce between. You also have to be in in broadway shape. 0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:55.080 And uh, Livia found the example of uh, he's either 0:20:55.200 --> 0:20:58.240 loquette or Looquette Charnell Pringle who was a swing on 0:20:58.320 --> 0:21:01.720 Mrs doubt Fire, who, aside from learning all these parts 0:21:01.720 --> 0:21:05.160 over and over again, uh, in her mind was like 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:08.920 you know, doing PT and like physical training and doing 0:21:09.000 --> 0:21:12.200 voice work because you have to keep in physical shape 0:21:12.200 --> 0:21:13.840 and you have to keep your voice ready for that 0:21:13.920 --> 0:21:16.680 kind of stamina that it takes because you may may 0:21:16.720 --> 0:21:18.480 not just be a single performance. You may have to 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:20.919 step in for a week or more, or you may 0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:24.600 eventually become that part. Yeah, that's the thing we'll talk about. 0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:27.679 But there is a possibility that you could end up 0:21:27.720 --> 0:21:30.280 like permanently in that role if if things work out 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:34.480 in your favor. You gotta have your your toolbox ready right. 0:21:35.960 --> 0:21:37.520 One of the things I said is, I don't want 0:21:37.520 --> 0:21:39.080 to make it seem like it's easy to be an 0:21:39.200 --> 0:21:42.960 ensemble member of a Broadway show. It's that this is 0:21:42.960 --> 0:21:49.879 the point. It's really really hard, stressful, anxiety inducing work 0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:52.919 to do that, And it's work like it's definitely craft 0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:54.680 and the people who do this love what they're doing, 0:21:55.160 --> 0:21:59.000 but it's also like really hard work. Um. What I'm 0:21:59.000 --> 0:22:01.960 saying is that if you are an ensemble or a 0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:05.640 principle and you go out there every night, you have 0:22:05.800 --> 0:22:09.000 all sorts of benefits of developing your character just through 0:22:09.080 --> 0:22:13.120 sheer repetition over time, learning the learning everything. So it's 0:22:13.200 --> 0:22:16.960 it's like wrote, Um, the people who work as under 0:22:17.000 --> 0:22:19.800 studies and swings, they don't get that. They very frequently 0:22:20.160 --> 0:22:23.520 will have not actually done any sort of real rehearsal 0:22:23.920 --> 0:22:26.840 before they might be pushed out on stage and asked 0:22:26.840 --> 0:22:29.720 to go ahead and deliver a performance that's on caliber 0:22:29.800 --> 0:22:32.920 with whoever it is they're replacing, even though they've never 0:22:33.000 --> 0:22:35.840 actually rehearsed that kind of thing. Yeah, I mean, if 0:22:35.880 --> 0:22:40.080 you are a principle standby, then chances are they call 0:22:40.119 --> 0:22:43.680 it a put in. Chances are you have rehearsed with 0:22:43.760 --> 0:22:47.280 the main cast, You've gotten in that costume, you've worked 0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:50.240 with the orchestra and the show lighting, because you know 0:22:50.280 --> 0:22:52.760 that's all that all counts. Like if you're if you 0:22:52.760 --> 0:22:54.720 haven't rehearsed this stuff, if you've just done it under 0:22:55.200 --> 0:22:57.639 just the regular stage lights being on and they're like 0:22:57.680 --> 0:23:01.280 the musicians aren't there, Like every thing changes when it's 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:04.600 go time and that curtain drops on the night, and 0:23:04.920 --> 0:23:07.440 if you're not used to that, it's a whole different situation. 0:23:07.520 --> 0:23:09.880 But if you are a principal, you've probably done put 0:23:09.880 --> 0:23:12.480