Psychology of the Understudy
Hey beautiful theatre hive! My preteen daughter just received an amazing opportunity as understudy/alternate at an incredible regional theatre nearby. The role is fabulous with lots of stage time and a solo song. She will have two guaranteed shows and will perform alongside some amazing talent!
At first, she was thrilled but now she’s struggling with “just” being an understudy. She doesn’t know what to tell her non-theatre friends who don’t really get it and is feeling a little worried about having to hang out backstage for 20+ other shows.
To overly complicate things, last year, her role in community theatre had an understudy who was awful to her. She lied and told her theatre friends that my daughter was the understudy. She also stalked my girl’s IG account (which I manage) and said horrible things about her behind her back. She would say she hoped my kid would hurt herself. It was a really terrible experience so I’m sure that is impacting how she feels about this role.
How can I help my young daughter feel better about this opportunity? Does she have to share the news with non-theatre friends as being the understudy or can she just say she got the part? What are some ideas of things to do backstage to make it more fun?
Thank you!!!!