A Note of Praise to Swings

I was perusing my SPIDER-MAN - TURN OFF THE DARK Playbill I acquired from attending the show last week. I read that Kyle Post, who is a Swing, understudies eleven (11!!!) roles in the show. Small roles, but even so, that's a LOT of work.

We all know the history of SPIDER-MAN and are aware of the frustration that everyone went through. After the cast got settled into their tracks for some months of performances, the show gets severely re-written and thus changing every one of the tracks. All of those six Swings must of had one helluva nightmare.

We ever so often give praise and acclaim to the leading, featured, and chorus performers in shows and more often than not ignore the Swings. I just wanted to put this out there: next time you go and see a big musical on Broadway or on Tour, read the Playbill and check out the names of the Swings. I dare say they put MORE work into the show than the leading players. For every single ensemble member, they have to memorize that specific track. (Those who do not know what a track is: it is the term used to identify an ensemble member's blocking, costume changes, and vocal arrangement.) Because of this, it's common for a Swing to ALSO be the Dance Captain.

It's an art all on its own, and takes a different type of talent. I am in awe of it.

Here's to the Swings!

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Absolutely agreed. When I see a show with a swing on, I try to notice which one of the ensemble they are, and have never to this day been able to do so. So impressive.

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I could never be a swing. It's amazing what they have to do. What I don't get, though, is how they learn all of the vocal parts in the tracks. They must have super-ranges to be able to sing every single part, and to keep them all straight in their mind is an extra challenge! Swings are definitely the most under-appreciated actors out there.

Brian Crum (the recent Gabe/Henry cover in NEXT TO NORMAL was a universal swing in WICKED.

Not to mention Swings go on a LOT.

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It can be a frustrating but rewarding job.....you don't get to go on every night, but that can be a good thing if you are not feeling well and it breaks the boredom of doing the same show over and over.....the fact that you can step in for numerous parts is a tribute to one's talent- that you are versitile to do that. You need to have a calm personna and have to know the show well if you are needed to step in mid show. Years ago, I did a show where 3 girls were out with one swing girl in the company. The dance captain made a list of the bits he needed me for to fill in and to fill the stage....(roles were not gender specified and were interchangable). I watched the show so many times that I knew everyone's track and said- just let me do the whole show- I was nervous as hell but did it for 3 performances. Got some pats on the back from some cast members- others didn't "get" what I had just done. You get paid extra for covering bits. It was a great learning experience and after swinging- everything else is a piece of cake. I had a gf who said that one night she was in the wrong spot as a swing and a guy in the cast literally lifted her up and placed her in the right place-lol

Great Thread! GOOOOOO Swings! You make it possible for shows to continue!

Swings get AEA/League Production Contract minimum and usually are negotiated higher. Why Swings get paid "more," typically, is because they get additional salary (per week) for every role (non-ensemble) they cover, and then ADDITIONAL salary every time they perform. When a Swing is a Dance Captain, they are paid additional salary for that, too.

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Totally agree! Kudos to the swings!

Do ensemble members or swings typically have the ability to negotiate more than minimum? I've always thought they basically all get paid minimum because there is so much competition for their jobs, but I could be totally off base.

To clarify a previous post, the previous posting was talking about getting paid extra for performing in a non-ensemble role, not for the ensemble. I don't know if swings get paid extra to appear in a featured role (although I'm not sure how often most of them actually cover or go on for a featured role), but I'm pretty sure that swings do NOT get paid extra for going on as an ensemble member. I asked a swing once, and he said that unlike an understudy, whose main job is something else and who is going on as an "extra" part of the job, the swing's main job is to go on for ensemble members and they don't get paid extra to do so. (Similarly, I don't think standbys get paid extra when they actually go on.)

I believe the minimum for swings is $82 a week more than regular minimum. They are getting paid more than most people in the show, but they're not exactly raking it in. (The dance captain minimum is $330 more.)

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I was a swing in a regional production of 42nd Street(also u/s Andy Lee). It was a 6 week run and for the first 2 1/2 weeks I did nothing but watch the show and follow a certain chorus members' track. I went on once during the show's third week and by the fifth week I performed in all 8 shows(three times as Andy and the other five times in three different tracks.) There were times just before a number I thought I had no clue where I was supposed to be, but it all works out.

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They did male-female in the les miz revival too!