Today, I’m at the theater early. Not to be an Early Bird. Or to be a Show Off. Or to be in some kind of practice to always be the first one here.

I’m here, because there’s a rehearsal scheduled for the Understudies. The full company is called to this rehearsal. We have to be on stage, not in costume, to be ready to run through the show with the people who are there, in what some people would call “Just in case”.

Some people might look at this rehearsal and roll their eyes. They might think it’s an inconvenience to spend an afternoon at the theater to prepare for the “what if?”. 

But the thing is, this is what we are hired to do. We are paid to show up and perform a role. We are entrusted with a story and the deliverance of that story to an audience.

Understudies aren’t useless. They’re not an inconvenience. They’re not the Second String. They are entrusted to tell a story. And if you’re blessed enough to be in a show where you get to have an Understudy Rehearsal, enjoy it, use it and tell the story. Because it’s always worth your time.