SBMT Understudy, Standby, and Swing Policy

by Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director

At South Bay Musical Theatre, we honor the long-standing tradition that the show must go on. At the same time, our top priority is the health and safety of our performers, crew, staff, and audiences. Illnesses and unforeseen emergencies are an unavoidable part of live theatre, and canceled performances can bring both artistic disappointment and economic hardship.

To address this, SBMT has created a policy that establishes clear guidelines for the use of understudies, standbys, and swings. Our goal is to ensure that performances can continue safely, responsibly, and with artistic integrity.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact theatre companies across the country, often forcing last-minute cancellations. After successfully casting understudies for our 2021 production of Shout! The Mod Musical, you’d think we had learned the importance of assigning coverage for roles. Unfortunately, SBMT lost a third of its Rent performances in 2023 due to the virus. Add to that the ever-present risk of non-COVID illnesses or injuries, and it’s clear we face a serious threat of being left without a leading lady or stage manager—and unable to go on.

When I directed A Little Night Music in January 2024, I cast a large ensemble to serve as understudies for every role. I’m glad I did—those understudies were used several times, with Mark Wong going on three times in different roles! Since then, however, our understudy coverage has been inconsistent. I’ll admit I fell into the same complacency many others felt as the pandemic seemed to wane. But as recently as this summer, local theaters have had to cancel performances due to new outbreaks. It’s now abundantly clear that the virus isn’t going away—and that the responsible course of action is to implement a formal understudy plan.

The show must go on

Let’s hear it for the understudies! During opening week for The Sound of Music, Michael Yu (center) filled in for Hank Lawson in the role of Baron Elberfeld. Also pictured: Janet Miller (Baroness Elberfeld) and Casey Martin (Herr Zeller). Photo by Dave Lepori.

After reviewing our budget, regular rehearsal timelines, and the logistics of producing three full-scale musicals each year, I developed what I believe is a solid policy. I presented it to our Board of Directors, and it has been approved. This new policy will go into effect with our upcoming production of Little Women and will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Definitions

To ensure clarity, here are some definitions of the coverage roles we’ll be using:

  • Understudy – A cast member who learns the role(s) of another performer in addition to their own and is prepared to step in if needed.
  • Standby – A performer not in the regular cast, cast solely to cover one or more principal roles, and available to perform on short notice.
  • Swing – A performer, sometimes in the ensemble but often offstage, who learns multiple ensemble tracks and can step into any of them when necessary.

Auditioners for our productions will be informed of this policy and asked if they are willing to be considered for one of the three coverage categories, in addition to being cast in a role. Little Women, with its small cast of ten, will use a combination of standbys and understudies. In the Heights, with its larger cast and singing/dancing ensemble, will require a different mix to provide coverage across all roles.

Of course, this is a work in progress. I welcome feedback and fully expect we may need to make adjustments as we learn from experience. Rest assured, changes will be made as needed. SBMT remains committed to providing opportunities for performers to grow and to ensuring that our audiences can attend the shows they’ve chosen to see safely and without cancellation.