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When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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#1

When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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?
"If it walks like a Parks, if it wobbles like a Parks, then it's definitely fat and nobody loves it." --MA
#2

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
#3

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
"There was this one time an alarm went off - it was in the middle of '24.' That's just wrong. Everyone knows everyone was watching '24' at that time." --NYU student quoted in the Washington Square News about students ignoring the frequent fire alarms in dorms
#5

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
"If it walks like a Parks, if it wobbles like a Parks, then it's definitely fat and nobody loves it." --MA
#10

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
#12

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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

When I went, they still had the understudy slips.
http://www.beintheheights.com/katnicole1 (Please click and help me win!) I chose, and my world was shaken- So what?
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
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#16

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
"Have they come yet?"
#19

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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. re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?
I mean, you tell me, who would you rather meet in a dark alley? Whatever's out there, or that geezer with his four hundred knives? I mean, who packs four hundred knives? Personally, I only have space for two hundred, three hundred at most.

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

#20

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
#21

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
#22

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
I mean, you tell me, who would you rather meet in a dark alley? Whatever's out there, or that geezer with his four hundred knives? I mean, who packs four hundred knives? Personally, I only have space for two hundred, three hundred at most.
#23

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad

"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
#24

re: When did RENT stop putting understudy slips in the Playbills?

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.

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