When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

[Parks]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 6:47pm

At New Years, I was going through my friends' parent's Playbill collections, and they had one from when RENT had its origial cast--I opened it and was amazed to find an UNDERSTUDY SLIP! Did they stop putting them in the Playbills because understudies go on just about every night? When did they stop putting them in?

Are they not required to put them in?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 6:58pm

They are required to notify the audience of any cast changes, but you can do that any one of three ways -- slips, an announcement before the show or on the callboard in the lobby which lists the cast at that particular performance. As long as the call board is accurate, I don't think that they have to do slips.

[Billboard Girl]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 7:05pm

I've seen the show 3 times since October and all 3 times there was a piece of paper in the Playbill listing who would be playing each role in that day's performance.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 7:11pm

They have to put slips in (unless the U/S goes on too close to opening the house). Somebody didn't do their job or it fell out before you got it.

[Parks]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 7:14pm

Hm. I didn't get one this summer (neither did my mom) when I know Ava was on as an understudy. Interesting. Thanks.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 7:15pm

ahhhhh--then someone wasn't doing their job.

[admanrich]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 7:45pm

They usually post the cast list on a sheet of paper inside the playbill. They don't write u/s Mark, they just write the name so most people wouldn't know that someone was an understudy unless they looked it up.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 7:50pm

As Margo stated, as long as the callboard indicates there is a replacement than they are fine. Sometimes, if the usher runs out of playbills, they have to give out fresh ones, i.e. ones without inserts.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 7:53pm

And what Margo didn't post was that the Company can fine the theatre for grabbing fresh Playbills or not stuffing. And, it has happened.

[dancinfan]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 8:05pm

I believe the Equity rule on Broadway is that the producers (stage managers) have to notify the audience of an understudy being on in *two* of the three ways mentioned:
1) slider board in the lobby
2) "stuffer" (slip of paper) in the program
3) announcement before the show.

Sometimes the stuffer copying machine breaks down, or an actor calls in too late for the ushers to stuff the programs...those are the nights you'll hear the stage manager make announcements about who's on.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 8:07pm

The stuffer copying machine? They have the inserts printed. They may run out of inserts, yes. And it may happen too close to curtain for inserts. But in most cases, there are going to be inserts.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 9:52pm

When I went, they still had the understudy slips.

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 9:57pm

I went a few weeks ago, and I don't remember there being a slip..but I know that every other time there were slips. I still have some.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 10:20pm

At Hairspray one time, Becky Gulsvig was on as Amber and Blake Hammond was wilbur, but they only put one, not both, in each playbill. They alternated.

[SpellRENT777]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 11:29pm

I went to RENT in november and got a slip for the understudy of Roger. So, obviously they go use them

[myManCape]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 12:22am

When no one is out there is no slip. When any one person is out Rent puts a full cast list insert in the playbill. As admanrich said you would never notice whos out unless you comapred the insert to the printed cast list. This is how Rent has been doing understudies for quite a while.

[Dramatic_Irony]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 12:25am

I went tonight (heh) and my mom's program didn't have an understudy slip, but mine did.

[timote316]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 12:42am

Yeah, when I saw it, they had a big sheet with all of the cast listed. I read it over, and didn't even realize it was an understudy for Angel I saw (Enrico Rodriguez, who was very good!).

[actorgal]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 12:52am

Speaking as an usher, we sometimes run short of stuffers ...they hand us huge stacks of programs and not enough slips, so we have to unstuff the programs at the end of a show as well for any leftovers. If there's a change in the program, it's usually announced during the performance as well.

Updated On: 3/18/06 at 12:52 AM

[Benzy92]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 1:02am

Rent only includes the big u/s slip w/ everyone's part when there is 1 understudy or more performing that perf.. when its full cast, they just don't include one.. but most of the time there is one understudy or more, so they just write the whole cast and who's playing what part, unlike all hte other show's that just have one little slip for that person/part.

[JasonGreen]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 1:08am

If you run short of inserts (stuffers) you're supposed to let your chief usher know...they can either get you more from backstage, or stage management can choose to make an announcement at curtain if it's really bad. If you're supposed to have inserts, you should NOT be handing out blank playbills, opening fresh stacks during walk-in, etc. I saw a show recently and was given a Playbill with no slips (and major understudies on who were not announced at curtain); meanwhile the other usher working the aisle had Playbills with plenty in them...it was clear the one usher had not bothered to do enough inserts in her Playbills. Inexcusable! I'd actually love to know to whom that should be reported.

[actorgal]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 1:24am

^ I should have been more specific...I don't work at a theatre, so our stuffers are rarely for understudies, etc. and there's no stage management - we pick up extra stuffers from our front of house staff if there are any left over. Sometimes we just aren't provided with enough by the venue or production.

If you want to report someone, look for a nametag that has something along the lines of house management.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 7:03am

OK, repeated use of the term "stuffers" is starting to sound a bit silly.

I think "slips" or "inserts" does the job.

[caligrl]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 7:57am

I'm a stage manager and they actually are referred to as stuffers.

Sometimes if an understudy is on for an extended period of time (like two weeks, covering someone's vacation), the playbills will actually be reprinted listing them as playing whatever role that is rather than the regular actor, so no stuffers are necessary.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 1:09pm

they are called all 3 things by various people. I happen to say "inserts".