Emma Benson Shares the Secrets of Swinging Nine Roles in HEATHERS
Benson covers nine tracks in Heathers off-Broadway.
By: Joey Mervis Oct. 23, 2025
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How do Broadway understudies survive? The gig isn't easy! Understudies and swings are some of the hardest working performers on Broadway (and beyond), having to be ready to go on at a moment's notice, often for multiple tracks. Think you could swing it?
In this episode, we're checking in with Emma Benson, who is the swing for nine tracks in Heathers- six ensemble characters, Martha Dunnstock, Ms. Fleming, and Heather McNamara. What's it like covering so many roles?
"When you're covering a principal track, I think the first thing you can do is get comfortable with their language," she explained to BroadwayWorld. "The writing in this show is so important and every one of these characters has such a unique voice. You should hone in on that character and how they see the world and try to see things through their lens."
Before booking Heathers, Emma was a full-time restaurant manager in Stamford, CT, and now she is living the dream! Off-Broadway debut. National Tours: Something Rotten! (United States and Korea) and The Elf on the Shelf. Cruise Lines: Syd Norman’s Pourhouse on the Norwegian Prima. Regional favorites: Shenandoah Summer Music Theater, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Tuacahn Center for the Arts. Graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory, class of 2018.
