Leads vs. Swings
Imagine this. You wake up on Saturday around noon… You run around the block, stretch, take a shower, and fetch some Starbucks for lunch. After you are well caffeinated and fed, you proceed to indulge in Netflix while lying on the couch. At around 6:00 p.m., you leave for work. Once there, you sign in and proceed to spend the next few hours in conversation and music appreciation with your coworkers. Once they leave to fulfill their task for the night at around 8:00 p.m., you cuddle up on a couch with your iPad, and proceed to finish that Psych episode you were in the middle of. After you are a good 25 minutes into your TV time, you see a flustered person in all black, wearing a headset march into the room, cover their microphone, and order you into hair and makeup, and costume for Anita. “Karen rolled her ankle in the Mambo. You’ll take over before America. You have 10 minutes.” Now you may be thinking “WHAT?!” How sudden and frightening this all is. But it’s nothing out of the ordinary for a musical theatre swing. Surely you are familiar with a “lead singer” or with the “ensemble”. “A lead is a singer who is a member… Of [an]…ensemble and whose role in that ensemble involves being regularly placed in the foreground, against a vocal background provided by the other singers.” (Horn, Shepherd 103) Contrary wise, “Ensembles… [are] a collective acting character, fulfilling the role of a cast ensemble of interacting individual characters.” (Monde 132) However, a swing is a hybrid of both. “Swings are the superheroes of Broadway. Like understudies, they learn multiple parts in a show so they can step up whenever there’s a man down.” (Rivers) Naturally, the diligence of a swing can easily determine the outcome of a show. Similarly, the performance of a lead is easily just as important to the overall appearance the smoothness on any night. While both musical theatre occupations are just as necessary, and the lead may be more significant, the swing has greater responsibility. Therefore, a swing is a more difficult profession, and should be recognized as such. Unfortunately, that is not typically the case.
Swings have multiple sets of responsibilities that they must know at any moment’s notice. For example, a swing has to memorize chorus voice parts for group numbers, which are often small, numerous, and complicated. Dissimilarly, a lead typically has long ballads, or character songs to memorize, and only has 4 or 5 of these per show at most, usually singing with other characters as well. This makes it easier, because there is someone to play off of to recall dialogue and melody. Another convenience is that their songs often tell a story and flow easily as though they were speaking. This is called recitative. Swings do not have this luxury. They are often singing against other vocal parts in tight harmonies littered with dissonances, and their vocal parts often are not complete thoughts, making them difficult to remember.
In accordance with the music, choreography is often similar. “Dirty Dancing has about 14 dance numbers, and each couple has its own set of choreography for each one. It was like learning 80-something dance numbers… On top of that, [they have] to memorize traffic patterns, specific blocking and even backstage choreography, including quick changes and prop pickup locations.” (Rivers) Choreography asked of swings is often difficult and it is necessary that it be sharp, quick, and on point, otherwise it may mess up ensemble formations. Thankfully, most swings are also dance captains, since they are responsible for the chorography anyway. Unlike the fast moving, precise movements of the ensemble, leads often are given choreography through which they are asked to convey emotion. This gives them a bit of leeway to make mistakes, and interpret the dance moves how they see fit, as long as the choreographer does not object. Leads also get more time and rehearsal to feel the choreography in their bodies until it is muscle memory. The complete opposite is the rehearsal process of a swing, or any understudy for that matter. “Generally, swings attend rehearsals and practice on the side, but they have the freedom (and responsibility) to teach themselves the show. Once it’s all written down, [they] must translate that writing to the stage with little notice and less onstage rehearsal time.” (Rivers) Because of this, if any swing dances with a partner, they have to make extra time to rehearse with them to be sure of the choreography, or else be unsure and uncomfortable on any given night. Leads receive ample rehearsal time with their dance partners, often rehearsing on company time for hours at a time, unsupervised to rehearse as they please. If both partners feel comfortable with a particular set of movements, they move on to the next number.
As mentioned before, when a swing is assigned a part to play for a particular performance, not only do they need to know onstage choreography, but offstage choreography as well, including quick changes and prop pickups. If a swing was to play Brenda in Hairspray! In the first act, come on as the Beatnik Chick in the second act, and then quick change back to Brenda for the closing scene, she would be required to know where to change, when to change, what costumes to change into, what side to enter from, what side to exit from, and where to grab her hairspray can from the prop table, as well as where to put her costumes before she was to dash on stage. This is only one example. Clearly, any swing has many backstage patterns and changes to have down and they often receive little help. Sometimes a dresser will be nearby to zip a zipper or pin a wig, but not often. Leads, however, receive a completely different experience when it comes to backstage. With two, three, sometimes four dressers attentively stripping and clothing them in the wings at designated times in designated areas, they have it much smoother as far as quick changes go. Similarly, there are often other actors or technicians assigned to be waiting in the wings, holding a prop so that it can be handed off to the lead as soon as necessary. Fortunately for the leads as well, they are typically not subjected to as many quick changes. Sometimes they may have 1 or 2 in any given show.
Leads and swings obviously differ in many ways. When a lead is cast, they are responsible for their one character, and no one else’s until rehearsals start. When cast as a swing, you are not only responsibly for your own part, but also everyone else’s. And this continues until the show closes, or until you move on to a different show. Imagine how overwhelming it must be. "When you do several different roles in a week, you get the 'swing-thing,' where you're on stage saying to yourself, 'Who am I?'" (DiLella) This is not uncommon for a swing, since they have so many responsibilities, whether it be music, choreography, blocking, or even backstage protocol to keep the show moving. They can often have 12 tracks memorized at one time, and sometimes be subjected to play two or three parts in one show. Clearly, this is why the title “swing” should be treated with more respect than any leading performer. A swing has an exceedingly more difficult job to do each show, and they do their job well. If they couldn’t, the show would not go on. And the show must always go on.
Swings have multiple sets of responsibilities that they must know at any moment’s notice. For example, a swing has to memorize chorus voice parts for group numbers, which are often small, numerous, and complicated. Dissimilarly, a lead typically has long ballads, or character songs to memorize, and only has 4 or 5 of these per show at most, usually singing with other characters as well. This makes it easier, because there is someone to play off of to recall dialogue and melody. Another convenience is that their songs often tell a story and flow easily as though they were speaking. This is called recitative. Swings do not have this luxury. They are often singing against other vocal parts in tight harmonies littered with dissonances, and their vocal parts often are not complete thoughts, making them difficult to remember.
In accordance with the music, choreography is often similar. “Dirty Dancing has about 14 dance numbers, and each couple has its own set of choreography for each one. It was like learning 80-something dance numbers… On top of that, [they have] to memorize traffic patterns, specific blocking and even backstage choreography, including quick changes and prop pickup locations.” (Rivers) Choreography asked of swings is often difficult and it is necessary that it be sharp, quick, and on point, otherwise it may mess up ensemble formations. Thankfully, most swings are also dance captains, since they are responsible for the chorography anyway. Unlike the fast moving, precise movements of the ensemble, leads often are given choreography through which they are asked to convey emotion. This gives them a bit of leeway to make mistakes, and interpret the dance moves how they see fit, as long as the choreographer does not object. Leads also get more time and rehearsal to feel the choreography in their bodies until it is muscle memory. The complete opposite is the rehearsal process of a swing, or any understudy for that matter. “Generally, swings attend rehearsals and practice on the side, but they have the freedom (and responsibility) to teach themselves the show. Once it’s all written down, [they] must translate that writing to the stage with little notice and less onstage rehearsal time.” (Rivers) Because of this, if any swing dances with a partner, they have to make extra time to rehearse with them to be sure of the choreography, or else be unsure and uncomfortable on any given night. Leads receive ample rehearsal time with their dance partners, often rehearsing on company time for hours at a time, unsupervised to rehearse as they please. If both partners feel comfortable with a particular set of movements, they move on to the next number.
As mentioned before, when a swing is assigned a part to play for a particular performance, not only do they need to know onstage choreography, but offstage choreography as well, including quick changes and prop pickups. If a swing was to play Brenda in Hairspray! In the first act, come on as the Beatnik Chick in the second act, and then quick change back to Brenda for the closing scene, she would be required to know where to change, when to change, what costumes to change into, what side to enter from, what side to exit from, and where to grab her hairspray can from the prop table, as well as where to put her costumes before she was to dash on stage. This is only one example. Clearly, any swing has many backstage patterns and changes to have down and they often receive little help. Sometimes a dresser will be nearby to zip a zipper or pin a wig, but not often. Leads, however, receive a completely different experience when it comes to backstage. With two, three, sometimes four dressers attentively stripping and clothing them in the wings at designated times in designated areas, they have it much smoother as far as quick changes go. Similarly, there are often other actors or technicians assigned to be waiting in the wings, holding a prop so that it can be handed off to the lead as soon as necessary. Fortunately for the leads as well, they are typically not subjected to as many quick changes. Sometimes they may have 1 or 2 in any given show.
Leads and swings obviously differ in many ways. When a lead is cast, they are responsible for their one character, and no one else’s until rehearsals start. When cast as a swing, you are not only responsibly for your own part, but also everyone else’s. And this continues until the show closes, or until you move on to a different show. Imagine how overwhelming it must be. "When you do several different roles in a week, you get the 'swing-thing,' where you're on stage saying to yourself, 'Who am I?'" (DiLella) This is not uncommon for a swing, since they have so many responsibilities, whether it be music, choreography, blocking, or even backstage protocol to keep the show moving. They can often have 12 tracks memorized at one time, and sometimes be subjected to play two or three parts in one show. Clearly, this is why the title “swing” should be treated with more respect than any leading performer. A swing has an exceedingly more difficult job to do each show, and they do their job well. If they couldn’t, the show would not go on. And the show must always go on.