DigiNext Reschedules 'The Standbys' to Friday, December 7

Due to the impact of hurricane Sandy, the screenings of The Standbys with a LIVE Q&A session with filmmakers originally set for Friday, November 9 through Thursday, November 15 have been rescheduled.
 
The new screening dates are Friday, December 7 through Thursday, December 13.
 
Advance ticket purchases will be available soon at www.digiplexdest.com as well as at www.diginextfilms.com or www.thestandbys.com

 

 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 Alena Walters, 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? 

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: Do Understudies perform on stage regularly or do they only perform when a lead actor can’t and spend most of their time back stage waiting?

Save The Performing Arts: Your Digiplex Theaters to the Rescue

If you are a movie buff  and you go to the movies at least twice a month? You must have noticed that several movie theaters are incorporating alternative content events to their regular Hollywood movie showtimes. Movie theaters that have been converted into digital now have the advantage of playing live broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, Ballet in Cinema, TheNational Theatre Live, and so much more. Therefore, they are attracting different types of audiences that perhaps, are too far away from watching the performance live at the venue or just cannot afford the tickets and would rather pay an average of $12 to $25 to watch it at their local theater.

Many performing arts organizations are broadcasting their productions to movie theaters around the globe and making good profit by selling tickets, subscriptions and selling CDs or DVDs of the performances, etc. By doing this, movie theaters are also increasing their week-day ticket sales, since most of the live performances (except for the Live Met) and encores happen during the week.

'Manon' Encore playing on 4/25/12

The advantages of watching these shows on the big screen rather than Live at the actual venue? Well, First of all, this is a great alternative for people who have a hard time with the logistics of planning to go to the live performance- could be schedules, commuting, etc. Second of all, for those who cannot simply afford the tickets and finally for those who want to watch a Live event that is happening in a different city or country around the world. This is a great solution.

Thanks to digital cinema conversion, our Digiplex Cranford and Rialto theaters in Cranford and Westfield respectively are playing one or more alternative content events each week. By doing this, patrons are leaving their couches to go and grab a bite to eat at their local restaurant (increasing sales for local businesses) and heading to the theater to watch a live performance of their preference. Imagine going to watch The Met: Live in HD encore presentation of ‘Manon’ with a loved one after a nice and quiet dinner. You can grab a cup of coffee or tea and some sweets at the concession stand and watch the performance…while wearing your jeans and comfy shoes.

Check out the Digiplex Destinations website www.digiplexdest.com and Special Events tab to discover what is playing at your local Cranford and Rialto theaters.