Feature of the Week: The Standbys December 7 - 13

Aléna Watters in The Standbys

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.”   

The Standbys chronicles the lives of the three actors, Ben Crawford, Merwin Foard and Aléna Watters, as they wait for their big break.  Watch what happens when these three Broadway hopefuls finally get their call to go on stage…..

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? 

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: