TETA K-12 Committee
High School At-Large
The character of Eve Harrington from “All About Eve” is one of my absolute favorite villains of all time. She is methodic, calculated, manipulative and has practically no redeeming qualities. Eve is the epitome of the young, hungry understudy willing to do anything to get on that stage. Ultimately, by the end of the film, Eve is successful and usurps Bette Davis onstage, while her own “Eve” waits in the wings for her.
Being an understudy is difficult to actors. I was an understudy in SFA’s “Hair” in 2004 for all female leads and the Tribe. It was awful. Our director actually blocked me onstage with everyone, allowed me to rehearse onstage with everyone, and yet I retained my “understudy” status until two weeks before the show opened. It took me years to understand why he did that. I do, now. The director wanted me to work harder than I had been working, to get competitive and to never take anything for granted. It worked.
The role of understudy can have a negative association to both young and experienced actors. To many people, “understudy” means that you are a failure, you are not good enough to have a principle role, and you are not as talented as you thought you were. If you are cast as an understudy, it can feel like you were not cast at all.
All directors struggle with what to say to a young actor who is disappointed with the role of understudy. You want to make them proud of this accomplishment, and you want them to embrace their job with enthusiasm and excitement. This does not always happen. I have had understudies who pouted, behaved with negativity and resentment, and quit when they found out who they were understudying.
I try to communicate to my understudies and my cast that they are the same to me. They have to be off book on the same date, and they have to have their blocking down, they have to pass all of their classes or they will be replaced. I have had only one production in the last seven years where I did not have to use one of my understudies. I’m confident that you have been in the same situation, especially in OAP season.
We try to cast thoughtfully, choosing actors that will pass their classes, work hard onstage and offstage, and represent our programs well. We choose our understudies the same way. They must be responsible. They must work hard. There is also a character trait that I personally look for: hunger. I want my understudies to be standing in the wings just itching to go on. I want them to have razor sharp focus and determination. I want them to want to earn my trust and respect by being at every rehearsal, every clinic and every call time ready to go, just in case.
I have two understudy anecdotes that I enjoy telling. The first is about my production of “The Bald Soprano” in 2009. I cast a senior in the role of “Mrs. Smith.” She had to drop out two weeks into production. Her understudy, also a senior, rehearsed the role for a month, even attending an OAP clinic with us. She was ineligible three weeks before competition due to grades. Finally, I had to move the junior understudy of the “Mrs. Martin” character into the role with hardly any time left. Jennifer effortlessly stepped into the role, getting off book in four rehearsals. We ultimately advanced to Area and she won All Star Cast.
My second understudy story is more recent. Our fall show, “The Land of the Dragon,” is a children’s show. The young lady playing the Narrator had to drop out the show two days before we opened due to a family emergency. Her understudy’s parents would not let her attend our emergency weekend rehearsal. Thus, a freshman understudy, Katie, was pulled from understudying a completely different character into the role of the narrator and given two days to prepare. She rose to the challenge, learned the role, and became the crowd favorite.
The point I’m trying to make is that we need to tell our understudies these stories so that when the bottom falls out of a show, as it almost always does, they are unsurprised and prepared. Train them, hold them to higher standards and make them want it.
You should also make them watch “All About Eve.”