The flu season is punishing theaters – why aren’t backup actors hired for popular performances?

National Theatre canceled the popular on Tuesday Angels in America -due to an illness at a sold-out performance of the play.

Performances of the play are sold out well into January. American Tony Kushnerin The Kansallisteatteri’s version of the classic play, shortened to four hours, was praised by the critic of Helsingin Sanomat I estimate and was remarkably popular.

Why wasn’t the sick case patched up with a stand-in?

“Some roles can be filled, but not all,” the National Theatre’s communications manager Karolina Masalin says. He adds that no one wants to appear sick.

During the flu season, theater staff are reminded about careful hand hygiene and are offered the opportunity to get a flu vaccine. There are no other precautions.

However, according to Masalini, the theater always does its best to not have to cancel performances. According to him, the solutions are production and role specific.

Examples of role placements has been seen in Helsinki this fall, when the actor Osku Ärilä your place actor Risto Kaskilahti Helsinki City Theatre Moulin Rouge -in the performances of the musical.

In October, one of the performances of the musical had to be postponed to interrupt Due to Kaskilahti’s unwellness. The performance only paused for about 15 minutes, until Ärilä jumped into the role of Moulin Rouge nightclub owner Harold Zidler, played by Kaskilahti.

Helsinki City Theater’s communications manager Kaisa Pelkonen comment at the time, that the main actors have backup actors for cost reasons always in the theater’s biggest productions, such as musicals.

“Cancelling a show is really expensive,” Pelkonen explained to HS in October.

Even though the situation came unexpectedly, Ärilä had already prepared for the role during the rehearsal phase of the musical. Since then, Kaskilahti has returned to the musical stage.

The National Theater Masalin agrees that canceling shows is expensive. On the other hand, money is the reason why the actor does not necessarily appear in the training phase alongside the actual actors.

According to him, the patches are typically arranged on a very quick schedule. Sometimes it is done so that the proofreader is on stage with the plari, i.e. the printout of the script, if there hasn’t been time to practice the lines.

Situations can be surprising. Masalin says that, for example, the director general of the National Theatre Mika Myllyaho has jumped to play the role of a male actor in what he writes and directs Hairdresser’sin the play.

In all kinds in exceptional cases, according to Masalini, it is important to inform the public about the changes as quickly as possible.

Seats will be announced in the warmth of the theater. In cases of cancellation, the theater ensures that everyone who bought a ticket gets the opportunity to see the performance they want at another time.

“It feels good to say out loud that the audience has a good attitude to patching situations and is on the side of the actor who often patches. This can be seen, for example, in customer feedback.”

Angels in America performances of the play continue on Thursday.