Understudies/Standbys in City Center Encores productions?

[StardustsChild]

Posted: 3/30/20 at 10:13pm

Hi everyone.

Do the City Center Encores productions observe rules of role coverage (IE a certain number of covers for leads in the form of understudies and standbys), and by extension, swings? They are such short runs, and I have never heard of someone not performing for one of the dates, but I also can't imagine them flying without the safety net of coverage.

Stay safe and stay sane!

[LarryD2]

Posted: 3/31/20 at 9:02am

I haven't been to an Encores production in some time -- I was a subscriber from the beginning, but I gave up my subscription about ten years ago. When I was going regularly, they did have understudies listed in the program, who were mostly (maybe always) members of the ensemble. In my experience, I never saw an understudy go on for a leading role in an Encores production.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 3/31/20 at 9:06am

It's interesting that they do that. Equity has rules about when producers need to cast understudies/standbys. It has to do with the length of the run. Seeing as Encores is a very short run, they wouldn't be in violation of anything should they not have cast understudies/standbys. 

[LarryD2]

Posted: 3/31/20 at 9:17am

I'm not sure if Encores still uses understudies. As I said, I haven't been to a production of theirs in years. (I was planning to see LOVE LIFE, but we all know how that turned out.) Nowadays, it seems like Encores is doing fully staged productions. Back in the early days and into the mid/late 2000s, the productions really were semi-staged concerts, with performers on book. Blocking and choreography were usually minimal unless a show (like CHICAGO) really called for it. I'm guessing understudies, most if not all of whom were also choristers, were minimally rehearsed, and if they had to go on, they could perform script-in-hand.

[ImAProphet]

Posted: 3/31/20 at 9:35am

I just looked at my Mack & Mabel Playbill from last month (god it feels like a year) and it doesn't mention understudies anywhere.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/31/20 at 10:35am

Their production of A Chorus Line had understudies and a few of them actually went on.

[Boq101]

Posted: 3/31/20 at 12:39pm

Some of the shows if not having understudies do have people in the show who have some knowledge of the material. I don't remember if Sunday had any listed but I knew for a fact people playing smaller roles on that stage had done George and Dot regionally. 

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 4/1/20 at 2:39am

I've been going to Encores! since the first season, although I haven't seen all of them. I have many of the playbills, including for some I didn't see, and I don't think understudies are listed in any of them.