From: conrad@brahms.udel.edu (Jon Conrad)
Subject: Re: Lead Role Salaries
Organization: University of Delaware
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 19:51:47 GMT

In article <MURRAY.92Oct5083931@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu> murray@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Thomas Murray) writes:

>How do they insure that understudies are "ready" to go on, if they
>don't keep them give them performances every now and then?   Are there
>regular understudy rehearsals?

There are supposed to be regular understudy rehearsals.  In practice, I
get the impression that each understudy gets one full rehearsal and has
to stay ready forever after on that basis.

Different directors have different practices.  Some give each understudy
their own separate rehearsal with the regular cast.  Some have a general
"understudy rehearsal" in which all the understudies have a bash
together (in musicals at least, most of them have regular smaller roles
in the show; in any case they're expected to see it and familiarize
themselves with it).

As a rule, the understudy rehearsals don't seem to happen till after the
show has opened -- everyone has too much else on their minds.  (And in
the back of people's minds is the idea that if the show closes
immediately, there's no point wasting time on understudies who will
never go on.)  Obviously, nobody better get sick during previews and the
early weeks of the run.

I can report on THE SECRET GARDEN.  There's a regular alternate for
Mary, who performs twice a week.  But in addition there is an
understudy, and the day before I saw the show they had the *first*
rehearsal to "put in" the understudies for the 2 kids' roles.  This was
at least a month after it had opened.  (I can also report that Mandy
Patinkin threw a fit partway through rehearsal, finally yelling that he
shouldn't have to show up for this kind of rehearsal, and it was a job
for his understudy, and he walked out.  He was required to apologize to
the company the next day, Saturday.  He then "got sick" after the
matinee and announced he would be missing the next 2 performances.  So
on Saturday night I saw his standby, Greg Zerkle, who had *never* had a
rehearsal except the bit he'd had to take over the day before.  He was
excellent.)

A lot of times, the attitude seems to be "You're a professional, do your
own prep."  Not the most solid way to be ready for emergencies, but a
lot of times in the theater things seemed to be handled on a wing and a
prayer.

I believe that stars also sometimes have contracts that give them a
higher weekly salary if they undertake never to miss a performance; if
they do miss one even for a valid reason, they pay a heavy fine.  
(*All kinds* of things can be negotiated in contracts; it's not 
uncommon for a star to be guaranteed a raise if nominated for a Tony 
-- presumably good for the show's boxoffice -- and another if s/he wins.)

>And does the "everybody works every show" rules also hold for people
>like the conductor?  I thought I remember one of the conductors of Les
>Miz (the first tour, I think) saying that he regularly had two
>performances off per week, so the assistant conductor could stay in
>show.

That makes sense, but it's by no means universal.  Les Miz has a fairly
elaborate system of understudies and alternates, as it is so big and
complex.  No doubt the whole procedure was worked out years ago for this
musical as the most efficient way to handle emergencies.  There are
plenty of Broadway shows where the conductor works every show, there are
others where the assistant gets to go on fairly often.  And sometimes
the person listed as Musical Director in the program never conducts at
all once they've opened -- his contractual job was to organize and
prepeare things musically, insure the musical quality, and get it ready
for others to maintain.  John Mauceri's credit as Musical Director of On
Your Toes and Song and Dance was, I believe, of this sort.  (He did
conduct the preBroadway tryouts, though.)

Jon Alan Conrad