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  • 1.  The Understudy: To cast or not to cast?

    Posted 11-11-2013 16:11
    Do you cast understudies in your productions? Have you ever been one?

    Maybe it's just me, but I've been noticing an increase in understudies cast in high school shows. Are they results of specific instances of chaos or just good preparation? The latest trend? 

    What are the pros and cons of casting (or being cast as) an understudy?
     

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    Ginny Butsch
    Community Manager
    Educational Theatre Association


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  • 2.  RE:The Understudy: To cast or not to cast?

    Posted 11-12-2013 08:37

    I always, ALWAYS cast understudies for my shows, especially in the One Act. I will pick one guy and one girl to be understudies, and they learn every part. It is the best thing I ever decided to do. With the understudies, we never have to halt rehearsal If someone is sick or has to leave early, etc. The understudy takes over and does the job. It also provides some security when we have to take the show to competition. I always tell the entire cast, that the understudy is an extremely important role, and has to be someone who is very talented, (which is true). It has worked out extremely well for us, and I will continue to do it.
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    Amber Goodspeed
    Teacher/Director
    School District of Superior


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  • 3.  RE:The Understudy: To cast or not to cast?

    Posted 11-12-2013 11:16
    I do not like using understudies although I recognize that others do and that they have their own reasons for doing so.

    I believe that when you use an understudy, that instead of one well-prepared student performer you have two unprepared student performers. If the under-study does a good job then I feel pressure to give them at least one performance and then the other student get short-changed somewhat.

    In the event that something unfortunate happens, I would much rather send a student onstage with a book than to go through the hassle of casting and rehearsing an under-study. I think an audience actually kind of enjoys this as they are seeing something for the first time. I have had to do this with a community theatre production but never with a HS production. 

    I sometimes have had to replace actors at the last minute for a variety of reasons but I prefer to do this without benefit of an under-study. It has always worked out fine.

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    Mark A Zimmerman
    Theatre Director
    Akron School for the Arts
    Akron Public Schools


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  • 4.  RE:The Understudy: To cast or not to cast?

    Posted 11-12-2013 19:39
    I have begun to use understudies the past several years because I've discovered that integrating understudies into a production builds ensemble, enriches character development, and strengthens rehearsals -- for never is an actor absent from rehearsals when an understudy is cast. There are a couple of caveats, in my opinion: 1) understudies must be promised one performance in which they are featured as the principal actors, and 2) directors and actors must recognize that additional rehearsal time is required of both principals and understudies if the process is to be effective. While I don't cast understudies for every show I direct, when I do, they are fully integrated, and that's the only way I will use them.

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    Jo Beth Gonzalez
    Teacher/Drama Director
    Bowling Green City Schools


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  • 5.  RE:The Understudy: To cast or not to cast?

    Posted 11-13-2013 20:01
    We've just started to work with understudies, after 9 years of not, and I really like the process we've developed, where we work the scene once with the principle, again with the understudy, perhaps again with both, and then we trade off back and forth.  (Talk about getting your blocking right-- two people moving as one-- is pretty interesting)

    I started doing it largely in an effort to build skills for everyone, create a sense of ensemble and to further espre de corps.  So far, it seems to be working pretty well.  I've had a few problems with understudies not showing up and simply can not tolerate that sort of thing.  But I like all of the different voices and ideas at rehearsal.  I think I have to be careful ensuring that everyone gets full rehearsal time and that all feel equally valued.

    I agree with some previous posts-- fully integrating understudies seems like a good idea and I like the idea of one female and one male understudy-- might try that sometime as well.

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    Michael Johnson

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