The Life of a Swing Performer
What is a Swing Performer?
A swing performer is pretty much what the name says. When performers in a production are unable to be there because of holidays, personal commitments, or other reasons, swings step in to cover them. They may cover principal roles or ensemble roles.
Swings often have to learn 5–8 tracks, sometimes even more. The reason is to keep the show running when people are unavailable, giving the production more flexibility when arranging the cast and hopefully avoiding a cancelled performance because of missing performers.
How does a Swing Performer work?
I think one of the biggest differences between a regular performer and a swing is the amount of information we have to learn.
A regular performer would usually spend around two months working on and developing one or two roles. A swing, on the other hand, may have to learn at least two or three tracks within those same two months, and continue learning new tracks after the initial rehearsal period.
By the end of the contract, a swing may have learned eight or more tracks.
A lot of the time, swings don’t actually have much rehearsal time to learn them properly.
During the rehearsal period, the team naturally focuses mainly on the regular performers, making sure everyone is clear about their own work. Swings often have to learn by watching, listening and taking notes.
There are very few opportunities to actually do the movement themselves and have the same amount of rehearsal time as the regular performers.
Sometimes, even after the show has opened, it may be the first time we touch a particular prop, the first time we work with another performer, or the first time we experience certain moments together on stage.
The preparation you can do is to always have your notebook or iPad with you, keep your camera ready when you are allowed to use one, watch rehearsal videos again and again outside rehearsal hours, and observe and record as many details as possible.
And if there is a gap during rehearsal, you take the opportunity to step in and practise.
The mindset of a Swing Performer
As a swing, I think one of the most helpful ways of thinking is:
“Close out the outside noise and just focus on improving yourself.”
I am still practising this myself.
Why do I say this?
You have to remember that when a regular performer has already performed a role 30 times, you might only get your first chance to go on. The details they have developed through those 30 performances will naturally be very different from what we have experienced.
Sometimes, regular performers may think you might know their habits already. It could be habits they consciously changed, or things that slowly changed over time without them even realising it. These moments can often be quite discouraging for a swing.
Especially when, after some time, we cover the same role again. From our perspective, we can very clearly feel that something has changed.But when you talk to the performer about those changes, you may often get a response like:
“No! We’ve always done it this way!”
At that moment, it can feel really helpless.And then sometimes you may receive a questioning look, which can really affect a swing’s confidence.
But I think you have to get through this stage.
Don’t spend too much time trying to work out who is right or wrong. Spend that time learning each performer’s habits, and then adapt to whatever happens.
We have to remember that, within the same amount of time, we are learning three or four times more information. It is really not possible to know everything and get every detail right.
You really have to treat yourself like a sponge. Just keep absorbing and learning, and don’t overthink whether something is right or wrong.
Something I have learned from being both a regular performer and a swing
When I was a regular performer, I used to get very caught up in a lot of details. Especially rhythm, speed, choices, angles and emotions.
I’m not saying these things are not important. But when we become too attached to these details, it can actually make things very difficult for the swing. And if I’m honest, I think sometimes this mindset comes from wanting to control the work.
Looking back at myself when I was a regular performer, I think I should have been more understanding and more patient. I should have left more space for swings to enjoy and experience the show, instead of putting too many restrictions on their choices within the framework.
It was really only after becoming a swing that I started to understand what it means to become a more mature performer, and also a better performance partner.
From another perspective, regular performers have much more information and background about the show. That means they can actually be a very strong support for swings.
Regular performers have to work with so many different swings. If they can pick up and respond to the signals that each swing is giving them, I think those performers would also make very good swings themselves.
The good and difficult parts of being a Swing
Some of the best things about being a swing are:
1. You are always in a fresh state.
Someone else might spend a whole year doing one role. We might spend a year doing eight.
2. In the UK, swings receive additional swing payments.
So you can earn a little bit more because of the extra responsibility.
3. You are constantly working with different people.
You get to build relationships with different work partners and learn how different people work and what their habits are.
4. You don’t have to perform every day.
Once you have learned your tracks, you can have some extra time to do your own things, or even sit in the audience and watch the show.
But there are also a few things that can feel quite contradictory:
1. The time you have to learn is short, but people’s expectations of you can still be quite high.
2. Your heart has to be ready.
One second you might think you are not going on, and the next second you may have to be completely ready to perform.
When the plan changes, it can feel uncomfortable. Not because you don’t want to go on, but because you have to change your mental state and prepare yourself all over again.
After seven years of being a swing, I have become quite used to it.
3. Like I mentioned before, your observations may sometimes be questioned.
And sometimes you can end up doubting yourself.
4. You don’t own any of the roles.
Because of that, your voice may not carry the same weight, even though you may have done eight different tracks and seen, from many different perspectives, the results of different choices and decisions.
The misconception about Swings
Many people, including myself in the past, used to think that perhaps a swing performer becomes a swing because they are not good enough to be a regular performer.
But I was wrong.
After becoming a swing, what I saw was a version of myself who had much more patience and flexibility. I found that I became more understanding and more curious as a performer.
I also learned to put my own pride as a performer slightly to one side, and use my listening skills to support the other performers on stage, so that we could all have a comfortable performance together.
What I hope for Swing Performers
Being a swing performer is really not an easy thing. I hope swings can receive more attention and respect in this industry. I also hope that all theatres can give swings more rehearsal time. And I hope there can be more flexibility and more choices for swings on stage.
I believe that, as long as it doesn’t affect the production, having some freedom can make a live performance more exciting and give it more life. It can also give performers more opportunities to surprise each other.
Every production is constantly growing. Having one more brain and one more idea doesn’t mean that the previous decision was wrong. It doesn’t mean that we cannot find another, perhaps better, solution and change what we have done before.
Right?
After all, it is a live show.
I think a piece of work that is alive should be able to have that sense of life and connection with the audience.
Of course, along the way, I have also worked with many performers who have given me a huge amount of patience and generosity. Thank you to all of you.
I also hope Equity can spend some time looking at one of the basic requirements for Swing Performers: the responsibility to learn “all ensemble tracks.”
Perhaps this could be changed to a more limited number of tracks, depending on the nature of each production and the amount of rehearsal time available.
Some companies may want to avoid paying overtime, which can result in swings not having enough time to learn the number of tracks they are expected to cover.
This can create tension between performers.
It can also create safety concerns.
And eventually, it can create long-term psychological pressure for swings.
I hope that by sharing this, there might be an opportunity for these things to receive more attention and for people to have a better understanding of what swings are actually dealing with.
Thank you for reading all the way to the end.
I have a lot of respect for all the performers working in the West End, and especially for all the swings.
I wrote this whole piece in Chinese first and then used ChatGPT to help me translate it into English. My English is not too bad, but I wanted to make sure that the English version could stay as close as possible to what I originally wanted to say and mean.
So I hope you’ll bear with me if some parts don’t sound completely natural in English. I will keep working on my language skills and hopefully be able to express myself more fully in English in the future.
And to all the performers out there, I hope everything goes well for you on your journey.
And to all the swings, I really hope you can receive the respect you deserve.
替補演員：那些站在舞台邊緣，卻必須隨時準備走上舞台的人
何謂替補演員？
替補演員，顧名思義，就是當劇中演員因為假期、私人事務或其他原因無法演出時，由替補演員代替主演角色，或者替補群演角色。
替補演員時常需要學習 5～8 個角色，甚至更多。
這麼做，是為了讓作品在缺人的情況下仍然能夠維持演出，讓製作團隊擁有更多調度演員的彈性，也盡可能避免演出取消。
但我覺得，替補演員真正困難的地方，不只是「要學很多角色」。
而是 — —
你必須在和其他演員不同的條件下，學會同樣甚至更多的資訊。
替補演員是如何工作的？
固定演員通常會花兩個月的時間，專注琢磨 1～2 個角色。
而替補演員可能需要在同樣的兩個月裡，至少學習 2～3 個角色作為備用。
兩個月的排練結束之後，還不代表學習結束。
接下來的日子裡，替補演員依然會持續學習新的角色。
所以到了合約結束時，一位替補演員可能已經學會了 8 個，甚至 8 個以上的角色。
而很多時候，替補演員甚至沒有足夠的排練時間去「真正做」這些角色。
排練期間，團隊主要專注在固定演員身上，確保每個人都清楚自己的工作。
替補演員很多時候只能：
邊看、邊聽、邊學。
很少有機會真正執行完整的動作，也很少能得到和固定演員一樣的練習時間。
甚至有些時候，真正上台演出的那一天，可能會是我們：
- 第一次真正摸到某個道具
- 第一次和某位演員一起完成某段表演
- 第一次在完整的演出環境裡執行這個角色
所以替補能做的準備，就是：
隨時拿好紙筆／iPad，準備好相機。
排練的時候仔細觀察、記錄細節。
排練之外，反覆播放影片，觀察每個人的習慣、節奏、位置與選擇。
如果排練時剛好有角色空缺，就抓住機會去練習。
你必須自己想辦法，把所有碎片化的資訊拼湊起來。
替補演員的心理準備
作為替補演員，我覺得對我最有幫助的一個思考方式就是：
「關閉外來的聲音，只顧增進自己。」
（當然，我自己也還在練習。）
為什麼這麼說？
你要知道，當固定演員已經演了 30 場之後，你可能才有機會第一次上台。
他們經過 30 場演出的累積，琢磨出來的細節，一定不可能和我們在同樣時間裡獲得的資訊成正比。
有時候，固定演員會以為你「應該」知道他們的習慣。
不管是他們有意識做出的改變，還是隨著演出時間慢慢形成、潛移默化的習慣。
而這些時刻，往往就是最容易讓替補演員感到氣餒的時候。
尤其是 — —
Get Pzps’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
隔了一段時間，我們再次替補同一個角色。
從我們的角度來看，可能非常直觀地感受到：
「這裡跟上次不一樣了。」
可是當你和演員討論這些改變時，經常會收到一句：
「沒有呀！我們一直都是這樣做的！」
這個時候真的會感到非常無力。
接著，可能還會迎來質疑的眼光。
久而久之，很容易開始懷疑自己：
是不是我記錯了？
是不是我理解錯了？
是不是我根本沒有做好？
這些東西其實非常打擊替補演員的信心。
但我覺得，一定要慢慢過了這一關。
不要一直糾結誰對誰錯。
把時間花在學習每一個演員的習慣，然後 — —
隨遇而安。
你不可能面面俱到
要知道，在同樣的時間裡，替補演員可能需要學習 3～4 倍的資訊量。
想要每一個細節都面面俱到，真的不太可能。
所以你必須把自己當成一塊海綿。
持續吸收。
持續觀察。
持續學習。
不要過度思考「對」或「錯」。
從固定演員到替補演員：我對「控制」的重新理解
曾經作為固定演員的我，時常會糾結在很多細節上。
尤其是：
節奏、速度、選擇、角度、情緒。
我不會說這些東西不重要。
它們當然重要。
但是當我們太執著於這些事情時，其實也可能讓替補演員非常難受。
再者，不可否認的是 — —
這樣的心態裡，有一部分其實是控制欲。
回想自己以前作為固定演員的日子，我覺得自己應該要更包容、更有耐心。
甚至應該留出更多空間，讓替補演員去享受作品。
而不是過度限制他們，只允許他們在一個既定框架裡做選擇。
真的成為替補之後，我才慢慢理解：
原來成為一個成熟的表演者，也意味著成為一個更成熟的表演夥伴。
固定演員，其實也可以成為替補最強的後盾
換一個角度來看，固定演員擁有更多的資訊與演出經驗，其實可以成為替補非常強大的後盾。
固定演員需要和這麼多不同的替補演員合作。
如果他們願意接住每一個替補發出的「邀請訊號」 — —
例如一個眼神、一個動作、一個即興的選擇、一個稍微不同的節奏 — —
讓替補知道：
「沒關係，我接得住你。」
那麼這些固定演員，一定也會是很棒的表演夥伴。
甚至，我覺得他們也會成為很棒的替補演員。
替補演員的優與劣
作為替補演員，最好的幾件事情
1. 永遠處於新鮮的狀態
別人一年做一個角色。
我們一年可能做八個角色。
每一次上台，都有新的東西可以探索。
2. 在英國，替補演員通常有額外的替補費用
因此收入可能會比一般固定演員稍微高一些。
3. 會和很多不同的工作夥伴交流
你會接觸不同的演員、不同的習慣、不同的表演方式。
也會因此建立更多工作關係。
而每一次合作，都有可能讓你學到一些新的東西。
4. 不需要天天上戲
角色學完之後，會有一些額外的時間可以做自己的事情。
或者 — —
坐進觀眾席，看戲。
這也是非常珍貴的學習方式。
但替補也有一些矛盾的地方
1. 學習時間很短，但他人對你的期望依然不低
你可能只有很少的實際排練時間。
但真正上台的時候，大家依然期待你可以完成這個角色。
2. 心臟真的要準備好
前一秒你可能還不用上戲。
下一秒，你可能就必須開始準備。
當原本的安排突然被打亂時，心裡難免會有不舒服。
不是因為你不想上戲。
而是你必須在非常短的時間內，重新調整自己的心理狀態。
不過 — —
當了 7 年替補之後，我也慢慢習慣了。
3. 你的觀察可能會被否定
有時候你明明很確定自己觀察到了某個變化，卻被告知：
「我們一直都是這樣。」
久而久之，很容易陷入自我懷疑。
4. 你不真正「擁有」任何一個角色
所以某種程度上，你的話語權也沒有那麼大。
儘管你可能已經做過 8 個角色，甚至可以從不同角度看到不同決定所造成的結果。
但因為你不是那個角色的固定演員，你的觀察未必會被同等程度地聽見。
替補演員的迷思
很多人，甚至包括從前的我，都曾經以為：
「替補演員是不是因為不夠好，所以才沒有成為固定演員？」
但我後來發現，我錯了。
當我真正成為替補演員之後，我看到的是一個完全不同的自己。
我看見一個：
更有耐心、更有彈性的人。
一個擁有理解能力、對表演保持好奇心的人。
一個願意暫時把自己的表演者自尊放到後面，然後用超強的聆聽能力去支持舞台上的對手的人。
因為有時候，真正重要的並不是：
「我要怎麼把自己演得最好？」
而是：
「我要怎麼讓我們兩個人的演出都舒服？」
我覺得，這也是替補演員教會我的事情。
我對替補演員的期許
要成為一位好的替補演員，真的不是一件容易的事情。
所以我希望，替補演員在這個領域裡可以獲得更多的重視與尊重。
我也希望劇場可以給予替補演員更多真正的排練時間。
因為只有足夠的排練，替補演員才能在舞台上擁有更多的彈性與選擇。
我相信，在不影響作品核心的前提下，擁有一些自由，反而可以讓舞台更精彩、更有生命力。
也能給彼此更多驚喜。
畢竟，所有作品都是不斷成長的。
多一顆腦袋，多一個想法，曾經做出的決定，也不代表我們永遠找不到更好的方案。
不是嗎？
畢竟這是一場 Live Show。
而我一直相信：
活著的作品，才會具有感染力。
最後，我希望 Equity 可以重新思考 Swing Performer 的基本要求
我也希望 Equity 能夠花一些時間，重新審視 Swing Performer 其中一項基本要求：
「學習所有群舞角色」的責任。
我認為，也許可以考慮將它調整為更有限制、更具彈性的角色數量，並且根據不同作品的性質、規模以及實際排練時間進行調整。
因為有些公司可能會因為不希望產生額外的加班費，而壓縮替補演員學習相應角色所需要的時間。
這可能會造成幾個問題：
演員之間的矛盾。
排練與演出上的安全隱患。
以及替補演員長期累積的心理壓力。
我希望這篇文章被看見之後，能讓更多人理解：
替補演員不是「備用的人」。
我們是作品能夠持續運轉的重要一環。
我們所做的工作，也值得被理解、被尊重，並且被認真對待。
最後，謝謝閱讀到這裡的你。
希望在表演者的路上，
你們都能遇見願意接住彼此的人。
也希望每一位替補演員，
都能真正獲得自己應有的尊重。
