Playbill: Flipping through the section of Who’s Who in your Playbill, you may see multiple cast members credited as “Swing.” Swings have some of the most mentally taxing jobs in theatre as, by definition, they are responsible for understudying multiple ensemble tracks (sometimes all of the ensembles tracks) in a show.
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I’m really glad that people are taking more notice and giving swings more credit recently. I feel like the recognition didn’t really happen until Covid made them huge necessities and public heroes. Interestingly, Six was a big show that had recognition for swings. Fans referred to one swing covering all six roles as “Swingo,” and in many productions they receive their own colored costume. I am glad to know that swings typically get paid more, because they do arguably significantly more work. At some point I would love to take a look into someone’s Swing Bible.
I actually didn’t know — but it doesn’t surprise me — that swings can cover different genders. I didn’t even think about it, but it makes perfect sense as long as the gender doesn’t matter for the track. On this note, one thing that I wish the Tonys would implement is a Best Ensemble award. I think it’s incredibly overdue, and we can all name countless shows that have ensembles who would really deserve it.
In all my experiences with theatre, I have always been most intrigued by swings and what they do for productions. When I imagine the job that swings and understudies are paid to do, I become stressed just thinking about it. As a stage manager I understand how with lots of rehearsals and runs you begin to know the show like the back of your hand. But in order to be an effective swing, you have to be intimately knowledgeable of the show. The thought alone of knowing just your lines, let alone everyone’s lines, inflections, movements, etc. is something that is beyond impressive. It isn’t surprising to me that swings are the most in-demand performers on Broadway. These people are valuable people to have in a cast, especially now with COVID precautions. What surprises me though, is how often the general public looks past a swing or doesn’t even know what a swing performer is or does. Until I read this article I did not know the true extent of what a swing does, but now that I know more, I want to familiarize myself with who swings are and how important they can be.
Being a swing is an extremely difficult role that too many people look down on. Swings have to do so much, even more than the main actors do. Like many people, I didn’t really know how much swings did until the pandemic. It took that long for us to shine a light on an important part of theatre, because what would we do without swings! I have some friends in high school who became understudies/swings, and they wanted to quit the show because they didn’t get a role. I gave them some advice and told them just how important swings are. I told them they have one of the most important and hardest jobs in a show and they should be proud they were thought of to be able to be an understudy. Luckily, those kids realized it and put in the work to be understudies, even though they never went on stage.
Swings are so underappreciated, yet they have one of the hardest jobs. My freshman year of high school, I understudied multiple characters in every show and it taught me a lot about hard work and dedication. Swings have to always be prepared to go on for any one of their tracks, and the fact that they could be notified just minutes before curtain means they have to constantly be brushing up on their lines and blocking. The most impressive part about a swings job to me is their ability to keep all their tracks separate in their head. I understudied two actors in The Laramie Project and each actor played about seven characters. It was almost impossible for me to remember which characters corresponded with which actor and what order everything went in. The job of a swing is truly one of the most difficult, which is why they are in such high demand.
Making a living as a swing sounds like an incredibly challenging, demanding, and thrilling experience for a performer. Understudies and swings are often thought of from an outside eye as afterthoughts, but in actuality, it seems much harder to cover multiple tracks than to deal with the emotional demands of a lead role. Swings never know who they may have to go on for, so they just have to be ready for anything and know all their tracks backwards and forwards. Especially in pandemic times, it makes sense that there would be extra pressure on swings as it’s more likely that actors could be taken out of the show due to illness. I would never be able to do that. I could see myself getting stressed and spinning out at the thought of having only a moment’s notice to cover so many different tracks – maybe I could pull through in a doomsday scenario, but it’s so impressive to me that for some people, their entire life and career is based on being ready for that.
I'm glad that swings are starting to be talked about more and more among the theater community. Although I didn't have the chance to see many Broadway shows growing up, I would always pay attention to the swings due to being a dancer for a big majority of my life. Although sometimes they may just seem like background dancers, I always had a huge appreciation for them, and if I enjoyed seeing as much as I did dancing I definitely would have thought about doing it in the future. Also as someone who grew up dancing, I understand that being someone in the background can be very frustrating. it's annoying to have to put in a ton of work, at times even more work than the ones in the spotlight, and not get the same credit. I'm very very glad that they're getting shown similar appreciation now.
These fun facts are truly meaningful and interesting for audiences like me who don’t read more in to a show. These little details and fun facts makes these shows more memorable and long lasting. Things such as being one of the most popular or interesting show does not only challenges new shows to add their names to the list and even replace Swings, it also makes its audience proud about what they have watched and create a fan community. In addition, by listening these fun facts and showing them to its audience that the quality of the show through a different angle. These background stories shows the effort and design and production part of the show, which, is something that audiences often don’t get the chance to see. These background stories demonstrates the effort that has been put within the productions. The fun fact that I like the most is that swings often go on for more than one actor at a time.
I truly do admire swings who are able to cover so many roles. To remember very different tracks and to be able to perform them one after the other. This is especially impressive when swings have to cover multiple roles that overlay with other tracks that they may have. The ability to memorize and be able to perform while not get confused by different forms of the same choreography for example. I also know that these past few years there has been a higher expectation placed on swings in covering roles that they had not even been covering to begin with. I think that while incredibly impressive it also lends itself to a worrying precedent for performers and what is expected of them. I remember seeing odd split tracks when COVID-19 waves hit casts. I think there is also a danger in last minute and untrained performers performing in shows with heavy scenery and dangerous tech elements. I also remember there being a show that ran out of covers and rather than canceling the show had the principal character perform with a mask for the show.
I agree with what everyone’s saying – swings deserve so much respect. This article has definitely helped me understand their roles both from an audience perspective and as their co-workers in the future. It is really impressive that swings have to know and be familiar with so many different elements of a show. But I look up to them the most for their ability to be flexible and remain calm under pressure and short notice. The thought of being called minutes before the show opens is a very scary thought but they have to constantly deal with this as part of their jobs. While it may seem fun to be a universal swing since there are so many places to go to, it poses the problem of not being able to settle in one place permanently. The article doesn’t cover much about how their holiday work but it makes me wonder what I can do to help as a stage manager or a production manager.
I feel like swings are one of the most important parts of the theater industry. Swings bring together a show, and have a lot of important jobs that I feel like some people don’t realize. One thing I liked about this article was that they talked about the great Comet of 1812. The great Comet of 1812 is one of my favorite shows and what I didn’t know is that they had 20 people on their ensemble tracks regardless of gender. I find it really interesting that the ensemble tracks were interchangeable and it didn’t matter what gender anyone was and that it wasn’t gender specific. I feel like Broadway is ever moving forward and I feel like that is an example of that. I found it really interesting that Swings can work more than one show. It is also something I found cool that I didn’t actually know beforehand.
I think swings are one of the most unappreciated roles in all of theatre. Many people see them as the backup without realizing how important they are and that their job is incredibly difficult. I certainly do not envy them but I admire all that swings are able to do. This article, like most from Playbill, did not disappoint. I know more about swings now and learning that it is one of the most in-demand jobs was pretty cool. It is my hope that the stigma around swings disappears and that swings are celebrated just as much as everyone else. The culture in theatre is constantly evolving and acceptance that everyone working on a show is integral to the show is an idea that is becoming more and more popular. Articles like this one push praise of everyone on a production team front and center. Everyone is celebrated and no one is left in the shadows without appreciation for doing their part.
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