The Understudy
Written by Studio AM.
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For two years Neve was the understudy in a play she never performed. Her contract required her to attend every performance, learn the director's changes and stay within fifteen minutes of the theatre on performance evenings. In exchange, she received a modest wage and the promise that she would be ready if the lead actor could not go on.
Neve rehearsed alone on Monday mornings. She knew every line and movement, but the empty chairs gave her no reason to pause. Watching the lead actor, she noticed how a laugh could delay a reply and how an unexpected silence could change the pace of a scene.
On the final Thursday, the lead actor tore a ligament, and Neve took her place. Neve missed no lines, but twice she spoke while the audience was still laughing. A critic called her performance flawless in its details but distant in its effect. Neve remembered the second half of that sentence longer than the first.
When the play closed, she joined a smaller company that performed short scenes for local audiences. The wages were lower, but this time she wanted regular chances to practise responding, not just remembering.
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Questions
Choose an answer. The explanation appears after you answer.
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Question 1 of 4
Which statement best expresses the main idea?
The answer is A: An actor discovers she needs practice responding to an audience as well as learning her lines.
Neve knows her lines but struggles to respond to laughter. Her next job gives her regular chances to develop that part of performing.
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Question 2 of 4
What did Neve's contract require?
The answer is D: That she attend every performance and stay within fifteen minutes of the theatre.
The contract requires attendance, learning the director's changes and staying close to the theatre on performance evenings.
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Question 3 of 4
Why does Neve accept lower wages at the smaller company?
The answer is B: She values regular audience experience more than the higher wage.
She chooses regular performances after discovering what solo rehearsal did not prepare her for. This suggests the experience matters more to her than the pay.
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Question 4 of 4
What does 'modest' mean when describing the wage?
The answer is C: relatively small in amount
'Modest' describes the size of the wage: it is relatively small. It does not tell us when or how she is paid.
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