On Saturday the 7th, I was sitting in bed, and my husband was out getting us some food. I got a call – I looked at my phone, and it was my stage manager, calling me at 12:38pm. Oh boy. This could only mean a few things: 1) That she was letting me know when my guaranteed performance would be, 2) To give me some heads up that a future performance (not that day) would need me, or, worst case scenario, 3) To call me in for the 2pm show.

My stage manager said in a very calm voice that the woman who played Lina was going to the doctor to get checked out – it wasn’t serious, but it meant that she wouldn’t be able to perform in the 2pm show. So, that meant that Lina’s understudy, who usually plays Zelda, would be stepping in, and they needed me to step in for Zelda.

Many things made this problematic. We had just gotten an 8 week old puppy on Wednesday, and we were still getting used to life with him. We hadn’t been getting a lot of sleep because of said puppy. My husband hadn’t yet spent the whole day with him, alone.

I hadn’t eaten yet. The theatre was 35 minutes away, and I had never even stepped foot in this theatre (the production had moved to the second location by now, in Everett). The problems were pretty overwhelming and I had to take a step back and think, okay. What do I need to do first?

I called my husband, told him the new development, and asked if he had already picked up food. He told me he was on his way back and would be at home in about 5 minutes. (I could wait 5 minutes, if that meant the difference between eating and not eating.) I spent it running around our room getting my stuff together, and trying to stay calm. Easier said than done, hah.

My husband and I passed each other on my way out the door, and he handed me my fried rice, which I proceeded to eat in the car. (Note: I do not recommend eating fried rice, with a fork, while driving.)

I found parking and arrived at 1:25- only 35 minutes before showtime. I had never been to the theatre before, so I was thankful that I found someone I recognized and followed them in through the stage door- I could have been lost outside for another 5 minutes!

I was taken to the dressing room area, which was completely different than the one large communal dressing room (one for boys, one for girls) area in Issaquah. In Everett, there were 4 small dressing rooms sized for 2-4 people, a door attached to each for some privacy. The boys’ dressing rooms were upstairs – they had to take an elevator!

The stage manager told me to get into the Beautiful Girls outfit, because the girl who played Zelda was so much taller than me, they were worried about me being on the stairs in her costume.

What I didn’t realize/remember until later, the costumers had put on small hooks to bustle the purple hanging portion of the dress, in case I had to wear it. They think of everything!

After I tried walking down the stairs, I ran to the dressing room to try and put my hair in pincurls, put on my makeup, and go through Zelda’s track. It was hectic, to say the least.

The first act went pretty well, except for one moment. During Beautiful Girls, where I put on the purple getup as pictured above, the purple shawl was giving me some trouble and I was taking a while getting all the pieces on. I was all alone backstage – no dressers – because they were helping with other quick changes, and it was the first weekend in Everett so they were still figuring out where the quick changes were going to be happening. Honestly, I could have gotten on my Beautiful Girls outfit quicker, but I just didn’t.

Long story short, I was in the hallway during my entrance music. Talk about a swing’s worst nightmare…

I ran backstage to the staircase where the other girls were lined up, and didn’t really know what to do. I was supposed to be first coming down the staircase, and end up as pictured below, with Zelda at the bottom:

But since I missed my entrance, the girl in yellow went ahead down the steps to her spot, then the girl in grey, and then I cam down. So the girl behind me didn’t have anywhere to stand, so she kind of popped out behind me and gave a little wave. It was hilarious after the fact, but it really was mortifying in the moment. As a swing, I want to do the best job I can and cause as little disruptions as possible-!

Zelda then has about an hour and twenty minutes before she’s onstage again, so I got to have some time with the dance captain to go over the Broadway Melody positions in the hallway. It was still pretty nerve wracking thinking about dancing without a put-in rehearsal, but c’est la vie! The depth was the hardest part to figure out, but what helped me was thinking about who I should be next to and imagining the shapes as a whole that I was a part of.

So, the rest of the show went well, including the scene between Zelda and Lina! I had so much fun, getting to say a few lines. The Lina understudy did such an amazing job!

It was a two show day, so I got to go on twice (and you better believe I didn’t miss my Beautiful Girls entrance that night)! I also got to go on for Sunday’s performance – two more times. So, that’s 4 times for Zelda, for those of you keeping count!

Total swing performances: 10!

On Tuesday, December 20, I received an e-mail from my stage manager around 11pm. The contents included information concerning our dance captain, and that she had injured her back during that night’s performance to a point where she needed to visit the chiropractor the next morning, and wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to do the 2 performances the next day, so I was officially on hold. I would know for sure around 11am the next day.

I had a voice lesson the next day at 10:30, and the first show was at 2pm, so I figured I had time to go ahead and go to my voice lesson and go straight to the theatre if I was going to be called in.

Tuesday night, I didn’t get much sleep. I was thinking about the dance captain’s track, which included the Lady in Green feature, the Cyd Charisse role in the Singin’ in the Rain movie. It was a 2 minute dance feature that had solo elements in it, plus a lift with Don, but it was a huge part of the Broadway Ballet. I felt comfortable with it, but I had never performed it. It was essentially me, by myself, trying to be this sexy exotic dancer for 2 minutes. Talk about nerve wracking.

 

Wednesday I woke up not really rested. I had spent the night tossing and turning, too anxious to sleep. I drove to my voice lesson at 9:30, and packed my car with my bag, just in case. My gut feeling was that I was going to go on, for both performances that day- at 2pm and 7:30pm. This was it.

At my voice lesson, 11am came and went – and I briefly thought (for about 2 minutes) that it wasn’t happening after all. Then, at 11:06, my stage manger called and confirmed that the dance captain had been ordered on 48 hours of rest, and that I needed to come in and perform in the two performances they had that day, and that I would also be officially on hold for Thursday’s performances as well.

I ended my voice lesson at 11:30 and drove to Safeway. Something they don’t mention to you when you get your armpits regularly waxed- if you’re between your waxing cycles (meaning the hair is too short to be waxed but it’s still pretty unruly), and you have to bare your underarms for 450+ people onstage, then you buy yourself a disposable razor and shave those suckers. In a Starbucks bathroom. Ah, the glamorous swing life.

I arrived at the theatre around 1, and from there it felt like a whirlwind until the overture started at 2. I went on stage and practiced the lift I had with Don, with the dance captain watching, and went through the Green Dress dance a few times. I also went through the tango duet I had with my partner, which also included a difficult lift. I was sweating by the end of it. I set down my stuff at the dance captain’s makeup station and had someone walk me through my costume track, talking through each costume piece I would be putting on. I had someone help me with my hair to put it in pin curls – not an easy feat for someone with long hair- while I put on my makeup.

I got into my first look for Olga Mara, the exotic star.

I had a quick cross in Act 1 Scene 1, about 10 seconds worth, and I knew it hands down. I  quickly double checked with my tango partner for what our cross entailed (it involved me taking off my coat and beckoning my partner to follow me), and pretty soon I was listening to the orchestra begin from backstage. Everybody wished me a happy opening and was generally thrilled to see me in costume backstage – it was awesome 🙂

I didn’t think about how the audience would look when I went onstage. Sure, I’ve been onstage before – but I had gotten used to the audience being well lit and empty during understudy rehearsals, and only hearing the rehearsal piano, and not listening to the speakers because nobody was in microphones. The combination of listening to the orchestra, the audience being pitch black but each seat filled with people, and the spotlight and other lights on you, was enough to give me tunnel vision. Those 10 seconds passed by me in such a blur, I’m not sure I really remember the first cross. I got offstage and my dance partner gave me a high five, and said we had about 20 minutes before our next scene- and I didn’t need to change clothes. Perfect!

I practiced the tango duet in my head while I waited for our scene, and sat backstage at the dance captain’s station in the dressing room. It was pretty quiet, with people coming in and out for costume changes, or otherwise changing clothes, but I couldn’t even bring myself to pick up my phone to pass the time. I could only stare at what was happening around me and remind myself that I was in the show!

The tango duet was there before I knew it, and it was another tunnel vision scenario- our duet included a huge lift and a big back bend on my part, and it went by SO fast. I executed the dance moves a little shakily, but all in all pulled it off. Then, I stayed onstage for the next 10 minutes for a party scene. I wasn’t sure where I went, or when I exited. Welp, when in doubt, ask! After the music ended for my duet, I asked my partner where I went –

“Where do I go now?”

“Now, you’ll go over to Dexter, who will greet you briefly, and then you’ll end up over by Rod, and you’ll introduce me to him,” he said with a smile on his face. I smiled and went where he told me to go, with Dexter kissing my hand as I passed, and then Rod greeting me when I got close to him.

“My darling!” he said, taking my hand. “I see you’ve had your face redone.”

“It was quite expensive!” I said, laughing.

The rest of the scene went on like that, until near the end and I asked the person nearest to me when I left the stage. They told me that it was right after Lina’s scream, and when it happened, I exited the stage.

Whew! Time for a costume change.

This one had a HUGE headdress, and the heaviest dress that I’ve ever worn. I had to climb up some stairs in it, and then walk down said stairs, which made me nervous. I double checked the number I was supposed to walk to in my Swing Binder, and then I was on my way! The stage got a little clearer, but it was still pretty difficult to concentrate – it felt like I was shot out of a cannon.

My next scene was a quick cross in the rain right after Don’s Singin’ in the Rain dance.

I had some time before the cross, and I tried to relax, but all I could do was just sit in awe that I was actually getting to go on stage and perform. Lucky me!! The cross itself went just fine.

How was it intermission already?? I checked my phone and saw that my husband was able to take off work and come watch the show, which I was excited about. There’s always a different kind of energy when someone you know is in the audience!

I only had one thing to do in the second act – the Lady in Green dance.

I put on my wig, warmed up, and went through the dance several times in my head. It was definitely nerve wracking waiting for my entrance, but I was happy to have so much time to go over the dance. Before I knew it, it was time to go!

My entrance was awesome. I start sitting on a chair at a table and the entire set is guided out on a sliding pallet on the stage. My leg straight out in front of me, Don’s yellow hat balancing on my foot – the music comes to a crescendo as Don dances towards me and slides to a stop as he arrives at his hat perched on my foot.

From the moment I entered the stage, I really can’t remember much. The spotlight hit me and I wasn’t prepared for how bright it would be and how blind it would make me when I looked away from it. My main concern was just staying balanced and doing the right moves on the right counts. Fortunately, since it was mostly a solo, if I had messed up or was off the music, nobody would have known since I wasn’t having to match anyone else.

The rest of the dance really was a blur, but I did a great job. I hit all the right moves on all the right counts! Hooray! And as a swing, that’s as much as I can hope for, really!

I went offstage and waited for my bow, which was quickly explained to me right before I went to actually bow. It was a wonderful feeling, getting to stand and be recognized for my work. I love performing!!

I ended up swinging as The Lady in Green 5 more times – Wednesday at 2 and 7:30, Thursday at 2 and 7:30, Friday at 8, and Saturday, Christmas Eve, at 1. It was a whirlwind of a week, but the best Christmas gift I could have hoped for.

Two Saturdays ago, I was laying in bed at noon with my husband, and we were watching the episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend that had aired the night before. It was going to be another lazy Saturday, and nothing in the world could have gotten me out of bed. Until…

My phone started buzzing. I looked at the clock, and it was 12:45 – and my stage manager from Singin’ in the Rain was calling me. My heart rate immediately sky rocketed up, and I knew. This was it. It was The Call.

I had always imagined The Call would be the night before the day of the performance, or even a few days before – or even a head’s up e-mail before The Call itself. But nope, here I was sitting in my pajamas, watching TV, and it was happening. I was about to be called in to swing for someone on stage.

I answered the phone – my voice a little higher pitched than usual – and my stage manager told me in a very calm voice that one of the dancers had gotten a flat tire and wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to make it to the 2:00 matinee.

“We’re going to go ahead and have you come down to the theatre just in case,” she said. Okay. So it wasn’t a total “You’re going on!” moment, but a big maybe. I got off the phone with her and didn’t even know where to begin. How does one transition from being in pajamas to maybe-ready-to-perform in a matter of minutes?

I had a bag packed that I carried around with me at all times that contained my Swing Binder, a thong, and some Tylenol in it – looking at that list now, I’m wondering what the hell I was thinking – but what was most important was my makeup bag. I had my everyday makeup floating around, but my stage makeup? Nope. I realized that I needed to throw all of my stage makeup into my makeup bag – and quickly.

The next five minutes zoomed by as I flew frantically around our room, getting dressed into comfy-but-presentable clothes, finding my stage makeup buried in my makeup drawer, and stuffing everything into my bag. I hadn’t eaten yet, but I didn’t have an appetite.

I got a text from the girl whose car got the flat – “So sorry girl. You’re going on!” Oh man. This was IT. It was happening. I hadn’t even gotten my wigs fitted yet! I ran to my car and started the drive. I would get there in 20 minutes. I put on my Warm Up track and started vocalizing.

I got a text at 1:03 from the Stage Manager – “You are confirmed. You will be going on today.” My heart rate shot up again, and I kept singing, going through her track in my mind, with the realization that I didn’t have her numbers memorized. I suddenly felt wholly unprepared, even though I had all the answers in my binder – I wasn’t going to be bringing my binder with me on stage. What was I going to do? I figured I’d look at it between each dance and memorize the numbers for the upcoming scene, among the costume changes and makeup retouches and – oh man. How was I going to do this?? How does anybody do this?

I was in full freak-out mode. So I just kept singing and focusing on the choreography that I knew like the back of my hand and told myself that I would figure it out when the time came. Deep breaths!

I arrived at the theatre at 1:15, and met with the Assistant Stage Manager. She greeted me with, “So we’re back to  a Maybe – they might get an Uber,” and I felt myself deflate a little. So it wasn’t going to happen? All that freaking out for nothing? I just nodded and counted my blessings – this was a good exercise for me, to show me what I had been missing in terms of being prepared.

I met with the Dance Captain, and together we quickly went through the girl’s dances and her numbers. It was nice, only having to focus on one person – whereas in Understudy Rehearsals, we had been focusing on everybody. We worked until 1:30, and then the Dance Captain was released to get herself ready for the show.

I went backstage again and the Stage Manager came up to me and told me she had gotten an Uber, and would be arriving in about 15 minutes. The Stage Manager asked me to stay until she got here, just to make sure, and thanked me for driving all the way down here and being so prepared. I smiled and said it was my pleasure – and it really was!

I needed that test to see what I had ready to go and what was lacking. I realized that I needed to keep a granola bar in my bag, in case I didn’t have time to grab food beforehand, and I needed to get my stage makeup more together. As soon as I got home, I laid out my makeup bag and decided what was going to stay to be stage makeup and what had to stay home. I threw my umbrella in there, too (it had been raining that day and I didn’t have it).

So now, I have my packed bag ready to go and within arm’s reach, wherever I happen to be. If I go to a movie or a show, or if I’m hanging out with friends, I bring it with me and leave it in the car. The knowledge that I have everything I need and haven’t forgotten anything really helps me calm down and enjoy my time off!

Next time: Going on stage for the first time!

We’ve finished tech-ing the show and opened last week! I attended opening night as well as the opening night party, and have been trying to keep choreography and spacing in my head ever since.

On Sunday, before performance #5, a Supporting Actor was having some breathing trouble and went to the hospital to make sure that everything was alright (it was), so he was out of the show. The stage management team let his Understudy know that he would be going on that day, and then called the Male Character Ensemble Swing (MCES) to fill in that Understudy’s role. But, the MCES didn’t pick up his phone, so they turned to another person in the cast to fill in – who had never performed in that role before (!). In addition, one of the dancers wasn’t present at the half hour call, so they had to call in the Male Dance Ensemble Swing (MDES), who was all the way in Shoreline, 30 minutes away!

What craziness! What ended up happening was that the MCES eventually did pick up his phone and arrived at the theatre, though since the team had already made the mic and costume switch with the Understudy, the MCES didn’t go on and watched the show. As for the MDES, he ended up not having to go on because the missing male dancer showed up right as curtain went up. Still, there were two people on stage who had never tracked their parts before (we hadn’t started Understudy Rehearsals yet), so I’m sure it was craziness backstage..! Can you imagine if the MCES and the MDES had been on as well? 4 people learning their part as they did it onstage…!

This week we begin Understudy Rehearsals, which are speifically for, you guessed it, the Understudies. These rehearsals allow us  to go up on the stage and actually dance our parts in the space, getting to feel what it’s like to be each different performer. For myself and the other MDES, these rehearsals are extremely helpful, and are what I consider to be the cornerstone of memorization.

The spacing is what is most difficult to remember, especially when I’m not on the stage all the time like everyone else is to see who (and what!) are around me. I think that will be the challenge, to “fit” myself into the shapes onstage for the first time, all while still trying to, you know, perform.

No news yet on when I’ll go on, but I’ll be sure to document it thoroughly when I do!

Tech week is infamous for being tedious, frustrating, and seemingly without end. There’s a reason another name for it is Hell Week. I’ve only ever experienced tech week from an actor’s perspective (and once from a choreographer’s perspective), and along with the many other firsts of this job, seeing it from the audience as a swing was another first.

At first, I wasn’t as frustrated as I thought I would be, sitting in the audience and watching the actors space out the show slowly (usually without the songs and dances). I had a book and occupied most of my time keeping my ears pricked for anything I could write down, such as a number a dancer was placed at, or any kind of change, choreography or otherwise.

Now, after three consecutive days of 10-of-12 (meaning, we’re called from 11-11, with one two hour break), I feel a little stir crazy!

I know this time is invaluable, getting to watch the show multiple times and really getting it saturated in my brain. It’ll make Understudy Rehearsals much easier for me (those start the week after next). Our first performance with an audience is tomorrow night, for our first invited dress rehearsal! We open next Thursday!

But, I have to admit… the biggest mental test of all has been watching everyone dancing on stage, while I’m stuck watching in the dark auditorium. Ah, the woes of swing life..!

Whew! What a whirlwind the last week has been. In my first week of rehearsal, I crammed more information into my head than I thought was possible!

Tuesday: First thing, the other male swing and I met with the Dance Captain, and she made me feel so cared for and valued! She gave me some valuable advice – to start with the Kathy understudy, learn the dance from her perspective, and then learn different iterations of that choreography through other people. If I started trying to learn everyone’s choreography at once, I would get overwhelmed quickly.

She also told us that she was the go-to person for all things choreography, the music director was the go-to for all things music, and the stage manager was the go-to for all thing props and staging. I left the quick 5 minute meeting feeling a bit better about the whole ordeal!

First, I watched You Stepped Out of A Dream and quickly realized that it was easier for me to learn the dance first, and then write it down. There were about 10 awkward minutes when I was holding my binder in my hands as I was standing and marking the choreography – yeah, that wasn’t going to be very sustainable.

Then, I went into the larger room to watch the staging of the Dueling Cavalier Filming, where I watched the Wardrobe Assistant, and got a feel for how to write things down in my notebook. I didn’t have a script yet (I would get it the next day), so I was writing out the dialogue and then writing the movement that was taking place next to it. It was a lot of writing!

I came home trying not to feel super overwhelmed but ultimately went to bed with my brain whirring like a maniac.

Wednesday: I got to join the rest of the girls in formation (!) for All I Do for an hour of choreography cleaning (7:30-8:30), which was extremely helpful for getting the dance in my brain. For some reason, the combination of feeling behind and not being placed in the formations, I just couldn’t remember what came next in the choreography. This time spent in rehearsal was extremely helpful and I started to feel better about Swinging overall.

After we finished cleaning, I went to the larger studio and picked up my script. I watched Jenny be a Wardrobe Assistant, and wrote in her blocking as they went through the scene. Not too bad! I realized writing blocking was a lot easier than writing down choreography.

Then, we had a short 30 minute music review in which the other male swing and I sat in the back feeling a little overwhelmed as we didn’t know any of the cutoffs, dynamics, or in the case of Good Mornin’ Reprise, who sang what. We kept mostly silent and listened, hopeful that we would get our own music review at some point.

We then went back to the larger studio to stage some crosses for Outside the Theater, and I sat on the side and wrote in everyone’s blocking – my first experience with writing down everyone at once. It was difficult – so I switched to following one person, writing that down, then on the next pass writing down someone else, and so on and so forth.We got out at 10:15 this day!

Thursday: We got our wish! Both a pro and a con- only the Swings were called for Music Review, so it was just the three of us learning music for 2 hours. The good news was, the ensemble doesn’t really sing much – this is a much more dance-heavy show than it is a singing show.

After music review, I met up with the Dance Captain to go over All I Do choreography for about an hour. Learning a combination one-on-one is pretty different from learning it in a group, and because I didn’t have anybody else to watch while I was dancing and could rely only on my memory, that hour really helped get it solidified in my brain.

I met with the Stage Manager next to get the stage markings for the Wardrobe Assistant’s track, who I was going to replace the next day during the Act 1 Run Through. I couldn’t believe we had made it to the run through already! I got to go home a little early- 10:30pm! Woohoo! I spent the extra time making an all-new All I Do choreography page in my Binder.

Friday: Act 1 Run Through! This was my first foray into actually replacing someone and being in their spot with everybody else on stage. There’s definitely a difference between doing dances by yourself and then doing them with everybody else around you, with the director watching – yeesh!

For my first time actually swinging, I think it went pretty well. I wasn’t ever lost on stage and I was only the most unclear on her Wardrobe Assistant blocking, which they had only done one other time. Everyone kept telling me how awesome it was that I was just jumping in, and I always had the same answer …. welp, it’s my job! 🙂

This was my first long day (3pm-11pm), with an hour dinner break in-between.

The above picture is the evolution of You Stepped Out of A Dream in my notes – first, super messy writing things as they happen, then writing it a little more fleshed out and detailed, and finally drawing the formations. I’m still playing around with how I’d like to draw formations and transitions – for now, there’s a small arrow at the bottom left corner of each couple to show where they’re going in the next formation.

Saturday: We worked through Act 1 for the first part of the day, and then after dinner we started on the big 13 minute ballet number, Broadway Melody. Unfortunately for most of this day’s rehearsal (1pm-8pm) I was seated at the side of the room, watching. But, the good news was I got to double-check my choreography and dance tracks as the dancers went through them, something I didn’t get to do the day before because I was up and Swinging.

I also experimented with making a voice recording of Beautiful Girls to be written out later (I still haven’t… oops), instead of trying to write it down while they performed it.

The version of Broadway Melody that our production is doing is a lot like it’s portrayed in the film, starting with a guy new to New York, “auditioning” for agents (“Gotta Dance!”), running into some gangsters with a girl in a green dress, and then finding a girl in a white dress and falling in love with her. It’s a really intricate dance with a lot of different moving parts. Unfortunately, because of those moving parts, it was nearly impossible to write things down as they were benig taught because there was about a 50% chance it would be changed on the next viewing. So, after dinner, I spent the whole rehearsal just watching and paying attention. When the spacing and steps are finalized (probably in tech), I’ll write it down.

Sunday: More of the same! This day (1pm-8pm) was spent entirely on Broadway Melody, and more of the individual steps were fleshed out as more details were added. This was another long day!

Things I’ve Learned So Far:

• I need to grab a music stand to set my binder on so I can write in it better (instead of laying my binder on my lap), but a music stand hurts my wrist, with the bottom of the stand constantly jabbing into it since it wasn’t flat. I’ll have to figure that out eventually.

• My process for writing down choreography isn’t finessed quite yet.

• When planning how early I should leave, I should always plan on getting there at least 10 minutes before rehearsal starts! I had one close call where I arrived right on the dot and I nearly had a heart attack that I was going to walk in late. Never again!

The first issue I had to tackle was to build my own Swing Binder – a sort of Bible that I would be able to refer to throughout the process. My objective? If I was called on to replace anyone at any time, I would have something to simplify the process – I could flip to the person I would be covering, “read” their track, and feel adequately prepared without being bogged down by the other track details.

How was I to achieve this, though..? I had no idea how to put something like that together, in a way that would make the most sense to me. I scoured the internet looking for examples of Swing Binders, or how other Swings did it- I even asked for help from others who had swung in the past- no such luck. (They either used Stage Write or said they wrote everything down and asked a lot of questions).

I figured I could make my own Binder and just… see what happens. I’m a fairly organized person when I want to be, so it couldn’t be that hard, right?

Well, that’s how this blog was born – I saw a need for there to be some kind of tutorial of how to Swing – and the first step was to create The Swing Binder. To Staples we go!

First, purchase said binder. I chose 1.5 inches, though I could have gotten 2 inches (and we’ll see if I need to upgrade as the rehearsals move forward).

Then, I had to choose dividers, because I knew I would be dividing the binder up into at least 6 parts for each of the 6 dancers I was covering. I had a lot of options here – I could have gotten up to 20 tabs, but I decided on 8 with the knowledge that I could always go back and add more.

Next was to choose paper – I knew I wanted lined paper to write down choreography in, and blank paper to draw the stage. I vacillated on whether to buy college rule or wide rule, attached at the top or loose-leaf, but eventually settled on white, loose-leaf college ruled paper. The simpler the better… right?

I purchased everything for under $25 and went home to put it together. Sure beats $200..!

I started with my table of contents, which would be a listing of all the girls I would be covering and which scenes they were in. I would put this at the front of the binder.

I labeled the top with the scenes and a small description of each.

Then, I put a check in the box if a girl appeared in that scene.

I made my dividers next and assigned a color to each girl, putting each name on a different divider tab. At this point, I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to use this feature.. but it’s a trial and error process.

Ta-da!

To finish, I put the blank pieces of paper and the lined pages in the binder, to take notes – right after the table of contents. All ready for the first day of rehearsal!

 

Ah, the age-old question. The first problem I had to tackle was whether I was going to be recording my notes longhand on paper, using the app Stage Write, or some amalgamation of both.

Longhand

Pros

• Complete control over how I wanted it to look, and not be subjected to an app’s sometimes rigorous format.
• Low-cost; I’d just have to buy a binder, dividers, and some paper.

Cons

• I have super messy handwriting and am not the best freehand drawer.
• Time consuming, trying to draw and color code positions
• Carrying a large binder everywhere would be cumbersome.
• I’m not entirely sure as to how I would put the binder together.

Stage Write App

Pros

• Extremely neat and clean looking!
• From what I understand, the app does most of the grunt work for you, and it’s easy to change – no messy eraser.

Cons

• Time consuming to set up all the “characters” and draw the stage with wings, drops, and dimensions – almost as much time as it would be to just draw them.
• iPad, not iPhone, compatible – we currently have the first generation iPad (not sure if it would be slow or not) – I wouldn’t be able to access it on my phone at any time.
• The app costs $200..
• I would still have to write the choreography down longhand in rehearsals.

Well, it looked like both had their pros and cons. I had been recommended the Stage Write App from a Swing friend (and countless websites) who said it saved her life – but um, seriously? $200?

After looking at the features, I just couldn’t justify the expense for what I needed. Yes, it would be nice to be able to have the stage patterns drawn out neatly – but that’s all it looked like the app would do for me: divide things up neatly with the ability to easily change things. As I said above, I’d still have to do a lot of the grunt work myself, and I would be doing that anyway if I made my own binder.

Now, I’m sure it’s worth it to directors, choreographers, and stage managers. But, being a Swing, I’m only looking at the ensemble movements. The app would be an overload of information that might end up being more overwhelming than helpful.

Verdict? Binder.

There have been countless articles that have written about the differences between an Understudy, a Swing, and a Standby actor. I’ll summarize here:

Understudy (u/s): An actor who is cast in the ensemble of a show, but who also covers one lead role in case the lead can’t perform for whatever reason. She could also be referred to as an internal hire, since she has a role in the show every night. For example, in our production, Kathy Selden is played by Mallory, and Rianna, cast in the ensemble, is her understudy. That means that every night, Rianna will perform in the ensemble “track” (or, her specific series of dances and scenes that is specific to her alone- no two tracks are the same), unless Mallory cannot make it. Then, Rianna would perform as Kathy.

Swing: Me! A swing is an external hire (meaning someone who does not have a regular role in the show), but instead learns every part of the ensemble in case one of them cannot perform for whatever reason. In our example above, the Swing would go on for Rianna’s track while Rianna played Kathy. Swings don’t only perform when the lead is replaced – if a member of the ensemble is sick or gets injured, a Swing would perform in that person’s place. The Swing must know all parts of the ensemble so she can go on for any one of them, at any time, with any amount of notice (or none at all). The role is called a Swing because one day she could play one ensemble part, and the next day she could play another ensemble part, hence swinging back and forth from one side of the stage to the other.

Standby: Village Theatre does not have Standbys, but a Standby is an external hire whose only job is to be the understudy for a lead actor. They are called “Standby” because they would come to the theatre for each and every performance and wait/stand-by to see if they were needed during the performance to replace the lead actor, in case something happened. They aren’t always used as a last resort- on Broadway, they would get first dibs on stepping in for the lead actor above the u/s. In our example above, if Mallory was out, the Standby would get to go on as Kathy. It would be only after both Mallory and the Standby were unable to go on that Rianna, the u/s, would get to go on as Kathy.

Here is a great video from the American Theatre Wing on Understudies, Swings, and Standbys in Wicked.

A little confusing, right? As the Swing for Singin’ in the Rain, I’ll have 6 ensemble roles to cover. Not to mention, these aren’t only dancing roles- each ensemble actress has featured speaking lines and singing solos that I’ll have to learn as well. I’m even covering Zelda, Linda Lamont’s frenemy! It’s gonna be interesting…!