At This Performance: Getting to Know Swings, The Backbone of Broadway

Upon Broadway's return perhaps no member of the company has been more indispensable or rightfully lauded than our incredible covers. And of all the good folks working behind the scenes ready to keep the show going on day after day, perhaps no one works harder than the swing.

In short, swings are the Swiss army knife of actors. These incredible artists are tasked with covering numerous roles in a show, waiting in the wings to be called upon to bring one (or more!) of these tracks to life each day. When they're not lighting up the stage, the main job of a swing is to use every spare moment to keep their skills sharp and knowledge handy to step into one of their assigned roles or ensemble tracks at any given moment.

With incredible covers coming to the forefront as the true MVP's of Broadway's return, it's time to get to know more about the role of the swing and what it takes to bring not one, but several Broadway roles to life!

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What is a swing?

Generally used in musical theatre productions, the term "swing" refers to members of a company who understudy numerous roles, most commonly several ensemble tracks.

One of the trickiest positions in any production, swings can be called upon to step in at a moment's notice for any of their roles, often times with little formal preparation. The job of a swing primarily is to replicate the missing actor's performance as closely as possible in order to maintain the status quo of the production from performance to performance.

In some cases swings can be called upon to perform more than one of their tracks in the same day, and even, the same performance, in what is called a "split-track." Depending on the needs of the show, swings can also be called upon to cover tracks of a different gender.

A super swing or universal swing is a swing who commutes as needed to act in various productions (i.e. national tours and transfers) of a show.

What is the difference between swings, understudies, standbys and alternates?

The "swing" has several "cover" counterparts within a production whose titles and functions appear similar, yet come with their own set of expectations and skill sets that differ from those of a swing. These are generally sorted into three categories: understudies, standbys, and alternates.

An understudy is a performer who, in addition to appearing in their own role or track within a production, can be called upon to cover a lead role should the situation call for it. If an understudy fills in for a lead role, a swing acts the parts normally performed by the understudy.

Standbys and alternates refer to company members who are committed to covering certain roles and do not appear in the production in any other function.

Standbys are performers who generally cover lead roles and are normally required to sign in and remain on theatre premises should the need arise for them to go on at a moment's notice. Standbys can also be required to remain "on call" until it is assured that they won't be needed for a given performance. This can mean calling the production stage manager to see if they will be needed that day, or being required to stay within a certain distance of the theatre, generally about 10 New York City blocks is the accepted radius.

Broadway shows that currently employ standbys include Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Moulin Rouge!, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Music Man, and Wicked, the latter of which recently promoted former "Glinda" standby, Brittney Johnson, to the role full-time. Other actors who had previously performed the duties of standby for the show's leading ladies have also gone on to the main cast including notable names like Shoshana Bean, Caissie Levy, Carmen Cusack, Jennifer DiNoia, Eden Espinosa, and many more!

Alternates, much like standbys, do not have a regular character or track in a production. These actors are scheduled to go on regularly, often stepping in for a physically and vocally challenging role for a certain number of performances a week, mainly Wednesday and weekend matinees.

Roles that often call for alternates include the role of Eva Peron in Evita, Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera (currently Julia Udine), the title role of Tina- The Tina Turner Musical (currently Kayla Davion).The hit musical SIX currently employs the talents of four alternates to step in for its queens, including Keirsten Nicole Hodges, Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert, Courtney Mack, and Mallory Maedke.

How do swings cover multiple roles?

Just one Broadway role or ensemble track can prove a Herculean task for any actor to take on, but the job of a swing is far bigger than most of us could ever attempt. Though it seems that much of their life is spent waiting in the wings, these mostly invisible heroes spend showtime doing anything but waiting. When not on stage, the central job of a swing is to prepare and maintain not one, but several roles, keeping their skills sharp in order to step in at a moment's notice for one of the tracks they cover.

Actors who find themselves in this position use numerous techniques and practices in order to keep their bodies in shape and performances polished for their moment in the limelight. These include creating detailed notes, profiles, and diagrams for each of their tracks and rehearsing each regularly. Since swings generally don't rehearse as part of the general company, they must use every opportunity available to keep their skills sharp, this includes rehearsing on their own, with other swings, or along with rehearsal recordings. When they aren't on stage, some swings use the opportunity to perform along with the live show either from the wings or a backstage area. When it comes to the life of a swing, constant preparation is key.

With their incredible work ethic, cool heads, and attention to even the smallest detail, these attributes make swings some of the most sought after performers on Broadway.

Which actors started as swings?

As we noted before, numerous well-known Broadway names got their start in swing tracks and have gone on to incredible careers as leading players!

Former swings include Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo, who got her start as a swing in Rent, Patti Murin who performed the duties of swing and understudy during her time in Xanadu, Tony-nominee Jeremy Jordan who joined the cast of Rock of Ages as a swing, The Prom star Angie Schworer made her Broadway debut as a swing for The Will Rogers Follies, Kimber Sprawl, who was most recently seen in Girl From the North Country, began her Broadway career as a swing in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and even the great Donna Murphy made her bones on Broadway as a swing in the Marvin Hamlisch musical, They're Playing Our Song.