Celebrating the performers who make "The Show Must Go On" a reality
Actors' Equity Association will mark its third annual "National Swing Day" with a social media celebration on Wednesday, January 17, 2018.
Using the hashtag #EquityTeamSwing, the event will flood Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with posts and discussions honoring Swings.
The day’s festivities will include:
Instagram Takeover – Swings on the road across the nation will take over @ActorsEquity on Instagram for the day, showing the world Swing Life in four time zones. The participating performers are Jennifer Florentino (On Your Feet!), Nyla Watson (The Color Purple), Richard Gatta (Bright Star), and Desmond Nunn (Hamilton).
Facebook Live – We’ll go behind the scenes at the Longacre Theatre as Jhardon DiShon Milton, Wonu Ogunfowora and Chistopher Henry Young, swings at A Bronx Tale, demonstrate how they stay prepared to take on any number of roles at a moment’s notice. Tune in at Facebook.com/ActorsEquity at 5:30 PM Eastern.
Swings are those members of the company who cover the parts played by other chorus members. Often the most important to cast because of the nature of the job, a Swing must have vocal range, be able to dance and be able to step into a role from young child to an older character, male or female. A Swing also must know the smallest detail of every "track." Essentially, the Swing must be able to do it all and must be ready to go on at a moment's notice.
"We really couldn’t do what we do without Swings," said Rebecca Kim Jordan, Actors' Equity Association's Second Vice President and Chair of the Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA). "Their ability to master so many different parts and jump into any of them as needed is what makes us able to say ‘the show must–and will–go on!’"
