Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A month ago, Nick Lehane got a surprise text at noon: He might be needed to go on that night as Warren, the hapless teenager played by Michael Cera, media darling and star of “This Is Our Youth,” itself the media darling of the early Broadway year.
An hour before the show, it was definite. There wasn’t time for a full rehearsal with the other two stars, Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson. Nor was there time to notify his parents back in Pittsburgh, director and CMU professor Gregory Lehane and actor Laurie Klatscher, so they could get to New York to see him.
It was, after all, his Broadway debut.
14 comments:
It's really awesome to see success stories about CMU grads and makes me all the more thankful to be at this school. It's sad, though, that his parents missed his Broadway debut and again when he played the other roll. It makes me wish that they could have given him more notice, but that's just not how the theatre world works; we have to react to every new change as best as we can and sometimes that means being called on the shortest notice. It's like how in Cirque they run three to four backup scripts incase something bad happens. Theatre is a world of short notice.
The role of the understudy is a very real part of the theatrical world, but it is something I don't know much about. I assume it's made up of last-minute calls and a necessary preparedness. It's exciting to think that life can change in a second with a lot of luck. Of course, luck is being prepared when opportunity knocks. It's important to always be honing your craft in order to be ready for that moment when you can finally shine.
I love seeing that our alumni are making their mark in the world, and really succeeding in the business. Also the fact that the actors here are able to do such incredible amounts of work in so little time makes me feel proud to be a part of this community of wonderful people. It is amazing how little notice Lehane was given to prepare for his debut, but at least he succeeded. This article makes me so happy to be able to say I am part of something amazing.
I always have admired the role understudies play in any production. It is a thankless job for these actors who have, in comparison to the stars of the show, negligible time to master their role(s) and are expected to win over an audience who comes into the performance already angry that the star of the show isn't in that night. I actually had a chance to see the two understudies observing in tech for "This Is Our Youth" this past summer. While the understudies did not have a chance to get up there onstage themselves, I could tell that they were rehearsing every second of every rehearsal, just by watching what was going on onstage. Nick and the female understudy both were mouthing along with the actors' lines onstage, and they would both watch very carefully to learn every movement, big and small, that Cera, Culkin, and Gevinson made each night.
Everytime I see at article like this one about CMU Alumni, I always feel really proud of CMU and really grateful that I can go here. It's amazing what people learn in this school and how they turn out afterwards. It's also really interesting to learn about parts of theater that I don't necessarily notice. In my case, being focused more on the SM/PM side of it, I wouldn't have really thought about the understudies (at least I haven't in the past), but will definitely be something I look at in the future. I can't wait to see what else pops up in the news about our Alumni!
I think it's awesome that graduates from Carnegie Mellon, and Pittsburgh natives, are getting these awesome opportunities. But this article brings up something about the role of the understudy. Most people would know what an understudy is but I like what the article says about the audience and the understudy: "in front of a Broadway audience deprived of one of the stars." People often go to shows like these, ones with big names in them, to see the star, not even the show all the time. But these famous actors can not be expected to never have a break or get sick, so I think it's interesting that the article brought that dynamic up.
Wow! They say that acting is is all about the preparation, but how does one prepare for being flung into that kind of situation? It must be a bit disheartening to do all of that work and training to do a show or two a week, when no matter how well you preform the audience is still always a little disappointed that they couldn't see their star. That said, I am filled with admiration for their work. It isn't nothing to step into another actors shoes like that, to try to make a great performance without imitating the start, while still creating chemistry for the other actors. Its a hefty job that doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves.
Often times the understudy in a performance is looked over and not quite appreciated for all that they have to do or experience. Putting the fact aside that this one in particular is a CMU grad, there is an extraordinary amount of pressure that is resting on the shoulders of these understudies because they never know when they'll be needed. It could be in the middle of the show for all they know. What happens if the lead gets food poisoning minutes before the show? The understudy has to be ready within a moments notice and that is oftentimes more taxing than having to do the role each and every night. It is important to appreciate and respect all members of a production, no matter how unimportant they may seem at first glance.
Mostly, what I take away from this article is that it's a real bummer that Lehane is never notified of his performances in time for his parents to come and see him. Still, it is amazing that he has been presented with the opportunity to perform on Broadway. I think this article addresses a lot of the challenges that come with being the understudy, although a big one I think that it misses is that many times audiences are disappointed when the understudy performs, especially when the understudy is filling in for a celebrity. I don't know exactly how big an audience is drawn by the fact that it is Michael Cera, but it is unfortunate for an understudy when audiences are disappointed to see them (although they should not be, because the understudy is likely more than fit to play the role). I hope that Lehane's parents get the chance to see him perform.
It's always nice to see a fellow theater kid make it with their big dreams on Broadway at such a young age.I have a lot of respect for Nick as well as various other understudies were thrown into the swing of things so close to showtime with little to no preparation for thought. I do feel bad that his parents weren't able to go out and see him for his Broadway debut but I'm sure they were so proud even just hearing about their sons success. I said great wishes to Nikk with his future career and all of the other understudies out there who have yet to make their debut in the big leagues.
I think afterall to be success in theatre requires 50% chance and 50% your own talent. This is another success story of a person who met a good accident and make his debut at broadway! What a lovely fairy tale story it is. The role of understudies in something I really don't know much about but I think it is so real and so important and it requires almost the same skills and talent as much as the lead actors, maybe even more sometimes.
WAY TO GO CMU, Another success story added to our school records
I never get tired of hearing the many success stories coming from CMU students and Alumni. It calms me when I see that I will not be spending 4 years and thousands of dollars for nothing. Further more it makes me proud and honored to think that maybe one day i will be able to share a similar story to give confidence to students in the future. It takes a lot to get through CMU Drama Design but I feel like with so many success stories coming in it's overwhelmingly worth it.
I find it so exciting to hear about the success of the alumni of the school I'm training at. I am so incredibly fortunate to be working in this place and I am constantly inspired by the stories I hear about CMU actors. I admire his ability to be thrown into a production with such short notice. Makes me realize how truly important preparation is. Whether its in a scene for class or an exercise or a show, you have to know the material so well that you can adapt to anything. You need to leave no room for variables. You can control certain aspects, and should not leave those things to chance. If there are things you can be in control of, make sure you really know them. Inside and out. Personally, I leave so much to chance, and that leads to stress. If you know the material, you allow yourself to be free of that stress.
I find this article to be so informational with the behind the scenes reality of a broadway theatre. It uncovers the magic of broadway and puts it in a more familiar light. It's incredible that Lehane can be thrown into a show, even mid way into a performance to finish that nights run. It just shows how shaky things get and makes it seem less intimidating.
I'm also very proud to call him an alumni of the school I'm attending right now, Carnegie Mellon. It's inspiring to hear about alumni working on such successful projects and making moves, being active in their careers. It is also incredible that he understudies both parts. To have such a background understanding of both the characters and what moves through their overall pursuit is just an incredible achievement.
Heck, I wonder if anyone knows the play as well as he does.
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