Broadway Swings: Covering the Ensemble in Musical Theatre

I once “triple-tracked” in Rock of Ages, playing a Principal and two Ensemble tracks in one show. We were stuffing wigs and hats together to try and make me look like different characters. I was underdressed in three separate costumes at one point. I remember after the curtain call I walked off and fell in a heap and just cried in relief.

Once I became comfortable in a few tracks to the point where I didn’t have to focus or think as much about where I was going, I began to track while onstage.

the most important part of casting Swings is finding those with the “Swing Brain.” This factor can be difficult to teach and is basically a combination of organizational skills, a “level head,” spatial awareness, and a “go-with-the-flow” attitude.

when tracking backstage] I take along a tape recorder, and write down the notes later.

Or in Chicago, we had so many people off one day that we did “Cell Block Tango” with one empty chair! Flying on adrenaline makes you feel so awesome!

Shove with love—If

I once “triple-tracked” in Rock of Ages, playing a Principal and two Ensemble tracks in one show. We were stuffing wigs and hats together to try and make me look like different characters. I was underdressed in three separate costumes at one point. I remember after the curtain call I walked off and fell in a heap and just cried in relief.

In some lucky cases, Musical Directors are giving Swings the incredible gift of a CD or MP3 files with all the vocal parts recorded separately for each song in the show. For any of you Musical Directors out there, reading this book, we really love this and would be so grateful to always get to have this! We are hoping that with the ever-advancing t

ERIC WOODALL (Casting Director, Tara Rubin Casting)