Are swings in the ensemble?

[wickedfanatic34]

Posted: 12/29/06 at 4:09pm

Do people who are swings in shows perform in the ensemble as well?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/29/06 at 4:10pm

Swings are "understudies" for the ensemble members. If an ensemble member is going on for a principal, or is out sick, then a swing will go on in their place.

Updated On: 12/29/06 at 04:10 PM

[wickedfanatic34]

Posted: 12/29/06 at 4:14pm

oh I see I never new how it worked.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 12:43am

They swing into the role...get it?

[NJRae]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 1:15am

But can't swings also be understudies for the principle roles? I know I'm going to get it for this example, but it is the only one I know of: Karmine Alers, in Rent, understudies both Mimi and Maureen, but is also a swing and goes on as Mark's Mom and the soloist (and I'm sure others, but those are the ones I know for sure). Is that normal practice (for a swing to also be an understudy) or...?

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 1:25am

I believe swings cover every role of their gender in the show. If there is more than one male swing or something like that, whoever decides who goes on may pick one over the other more often because they are better in that role.

Please forgive me if I'm wrong.

[iliketheater]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 1:33am

Swings can be confusing. There a few swings for every show, each swing is responsible for knowing several lead/ensmable roles. They aren't usually in the ensamble on regular performances, but I'm sure that there are some execptions.

It's a tough gig they've got, but they're amazing people.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 1:39am

There is a "Swing curse". Many performers, once they swing a show, end up getting hired almost exclusively as a swing. It is a skill and Casting directors and directors want to know that someone is capable of doing what is always a huge and difficult job. However, sometimes it becomes a "Golden Handcuff" situation where it is hard for those people to break through into larger roles.
As to the thread starting question-Every show is different, some swings cover the entire show, while others will cover certain ensemble roles and some leads in the same show. It really depends on how the cast is structured.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 2:47am

well in some shows the swings perform for specific (usually brief and non-speaking) scenes i.e. the cops in rent, the "cut dancers" in a chorus line

[Joshua488]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 2:51am

Yes, swings can also understudy principal roles. For instance, Jeannette Bayardelle was a female swing as well as an understudy for Celie and Nettie in The Color Purple. Lucky for her, she was recently promoted to the full-time Celie. So, being a swing isn't always a curse!

[StarStruckGB]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 2:52am

Thanks to everybody trying to clear up the swing situation.
I was confused too.
Damn you Broadway/theatre terms...

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 3:29am

If a swing understudies one of the principal roles in addition to their ensemble duties, it has to say so in the Playbill. You should find all the information you need there.

[actor]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 4:15am

READ THE FAQ

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 10:47am

Shh.

[Horton]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 11:09am

Another example that can be confusing is Brad Oscar in The Producers. He was originally hired as a swing, and the Franz understudy and Max standby.

[craftymarley]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 11:55am

well in some shows the swings perform for specific (usually brief and non-speaking) scenes i.e. the cops in rent, the "cut dancers" in a chorus line

A swing never performs regularly in a show. The cops in Rent are played by ensemble members, the cut dancers in A Chorus Line are considered ensemble members and there is a seperate group of swings.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 2:36pm

Actor didn't have his nap today.

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 2:01pm

Actually craftymarley there is also a postion known as a partial swing . A partial swing performs some of the ensemble responsibilities onstage as well as covering the entire ensemble offstage AND sometimes covers principals as well. It's a common position in experimental production contracts on the road.

[KQuill]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 2:07pm

And a lot of times the swings are better than the principle actors themselves, but since they are so versatile they are more valueable where they are, again part of the "Golden Handcuff" theory.

[myManCape]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 2:25pm

"well in some shows the swings perform for specific (usually brief and non-speaking) scenes i.e. the cops in rent, the "cut dancers" in a chorus line"

Depending on the show this can be true. Swings can perform in the ensemble of a show even if no one is out. But they are in roles that would not be missed if the swing has to cover a regular role. Examples of this are the recently closed High Fidelity, the swings played record shop customers with no lines. Just additional people on the stage. In larger shows like Beauty the swings play townspeople in the opening scenes, again a role with no lines or purpose other than to give the feeling of a fuller stage. If one of the swings had to cover a regular role you would never notice that there is one less townsperson in the background. However for roles like the cops in Rent if a swing had to cover another role that night you would notice the cops are missing, therefore that example is incorrect. But the idea of the original statement is true.

[Dover]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 8:03pm

Swings do not always cover everyone of their gender. For one thing, in shows with a lot of principals, it would get expensive to have the same person understudying everyone. It costs more when someone understudies more than 3 principals, and they can never do more than 5. Plus, on shows that have roles of widely varying ages, there is often an older and younger swing who are assigned different roles based on age, and can both play the roles in the middle.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 1:04am

Isn't that called a "partial swing"? And speaking of big casts, even Les Miz usually has/had two swings of each gender.

BroadwayLiving.com recently talked about swings. Check it out...
BroadwayLiving.com: Dec. 5 video

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 3:32am

Les Miz had 2 swings of each gender as well as a female and male "internal swing" which was an ensemble member who would cover "specialties" such as: Grantaire, Bamatabois, Factory girl,The Bishop,etc. In the event there was a "combo" which meant that too many ensemble members were out and not enough swings were on hand to handle the demand of filling missing respnsiblities, the internal swings would fill the void,as well as other ensemble members picking up the slack....A COMMON OCCURENCE.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 3:33am

Was Stephen Colella one of the internal swings?

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 3:36am

In NYC no, I believe he was on the road, as was Kip Driver