BIG
NEWS! The Standbys is coming to theaters December 7 - 13!
Peek
backstage as three aspiring actors prepare for the chance of a lifetime….to
take over the lead in a Broadway show as a standby. Every year thousands of aspiring actors audition for
Broadway each year, waiting for their big break into the spotlight, few ever
make it on stage. Some of the
lucky hopefuls get the chance to work as standbys or understudies.
Being
ready to give a fantastic performance at a moment’s notice….will your big
chance come to play the lead role on Broadway?
Witness
the never-before-heard stories of famous actors who began their careers as
standbys and understudies.
Bebe
Neuwirth, who started acting as an understudy comments, “It’s a very
complicated job to be an understudy…you have to be ready to give a fantastic
performance at a moment’s notice.”
No
one wants to be an understudy or a standby forever. Imagine every day you prepare, working tirelessly for a role
that you probably will not ever get to play. Waiting in the wings, backstage, watching the lead perform
the role, a role you know that you are destined to play. But will your chance come?
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Ben Crawford as Shrek |
Challenging
and frustrating, these roles can help an actor land a lead role on
Broadway. Many famous actors in
todays top Broadway shows, movies and on popular television series began as
standbys and understudies.
Did you know that Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele
of “Glee” were standbys before they hit it big? These are
just some of the many performers who launched their careers as understudies,
swings, and standbys:
FAMOUS STANDBYS:
Bernadette Peters: Tony award winner and one of the most well known Broadway
actresses, she began her career as a standby in the 1967 play, “The Girls in
the Freudian Slip” and has been in more than 20 plays and 30 movies.
Bebe Neuwirth: is best known for her roles in “Frasier” and “Cheers,” but
Bebe started her career as a standby in “Sweet Charity.” The Tony Award winner also went on to
star in “Chicago” and “The Addams Family” on Broadway.
Taye Diggs: best known for his roles in movies such as “How Stella Got Her
Grove” and the Broadway hit “Rent” began his career as an understudy in
“Carousel.”
Lea Michele: its hard to believe that an understudy for the character
Gavroche in “Les Miserable” could evolve into the lead in Broadway’s “Spring
Awakening” and the role of Rachel on “Glee.”
Matthew Morrison: before he hit it big in his role as Will Schuester on Fox’s
“Glee,” Matthew Morrison was an understudy on Broadway, which led to his roles
in “Hairspray” and “South Pacific.”
Trivia? Understudies perform on stage
regularly, standbys only perform when a lead actor can’t and spend most of
their time back stage waiting.
Check out the official trailer: