Cover, understudy

Question

On the radio, a South African opera student studying in the US keeps using the phrase "cover the role" and the noun "cover", instead of understudy.
Is this new, is this South African, is it more common now than understudy, is it the difference between opera and other forms, like drama and musicals?
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say if you are posting the same response.
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Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]On the radio, a South African opera student studying in the US keeps using the phrase "cover the role" and ... is it more common now than understudy, is it the difference between opera and other forms, like drama and musicals?[/nq]
There are understudies, standbys, and swings. There's a lot of slop in usage, too. All are covers of sorts, which is a more general term.

An understudy is a cast member whose duties include substituting for a principal; he or she may play a secondary part while serving as understudy.
A standby is not a cast member but is engaged particularly to substitute for a principal. That's the main difference between an understudy and a standby: an understudy generally has a regular part, but a standby generally has nothing else to do.
A swing is able to substitute in any of several ensemble parts or in the chorus. For example, a swing may cover an understudy's role when the understudy is called on to cover for a principal.

An alternate isn't exactly a cover, because alternates are scheduled to perform, typically alternating in demanding parts. For example, it's not unusual for a production of Carmen to have alternate Carmens.

See the rec.arts.theatre.musicals FAQ for more details.

Chris Green

Cover, understudy

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