I recognize this is an unpopular opinion, but I like understudying. Hear me out.
All the downsides to understudying are true. Yes, you get little preparation. Yes, you feel pressure to perform as well as the overstudy despite limited rehearsal time. Yes, it can be a struggle to get offbook when you don’t get the rehearsal reps. Yes, you miss out on some of the artistry by having to live within the choices already locked in by the cast and director. All of this is true, but there’s another side to the understudy story.
If (and this is a big if) you prepared and endured the slog of doing your homework without rehearsal, then the phone call to go on is as close to answering the Bat Phone as you can get in this life. Someone is sick, detained, booked a better gig, whatever, and the show must go on. “Can you come in tomorrow for a put-in rehearsal?” queue up Bonnie Taylor, “Absolutely, I’m ready.” The subtle shift from playing in the shadows to being center stage can be exhilarating if you are ready for the moment.
Maybe it’s my ADHD, but I also enjoy doing a single show—one opportunity to live it up and leave it all out there on the boards. There’s an unmatched fervor to a put-in rehearsal, and I savor the feeling of relief in the room when it’s clear I’m ready. It’s big game energy, my personal Super Bowl, and I’m here for it.
At the end of the day, I love acting, and it’s hard to get on stage, so I’m grateful for any opportunity to get paid to work in the industry. Of course, I would prefer to be the principal performer. However, if I had to choose between no acting work and understudying, I would gladly understudy, please, and thank you.
Love & light,
