I don't know how it is now but the assistant stage manager had to understudy several parts. You had to be ready to go on at any time if the actor couldn't make it to the play. I didn't think anything of it.
“By not caring too much about what people think, I'm able to think for myself and propagate ideas which are very often unpopular. And I succeed.”
“We almost always have choices, and the better the choice, the more we will be in control of our lives.”