Picking a substitute

IN THEATER, there are always designated understudies for the lead roles in case a star is suddenly unavailable or in a prickly mood. The substitute can also perform in the weekend matinee shows to give the diva some rest for her regular evening schedule. The casting change is announced just before the curtain rises.

In other situations, substitutes are picked at the last minute, even without rehearsals.

Inviting a high-profile CEO or recognized expert for a seminar, product launch, ribbon cutting, or a ground-breaking ceremony for a new building (we will provide the shovels) is quite a tradition.

The limited supply of celebrities (even counting has-beens) tilts the situation against event organizers who feature them for their high social profile and marketing appeal. What if they suddenly become unavailable? (He was abducted by aliens over the weekend.)

A designated proxy (from the Latin word, procurare — to attend to) can make an appearance on behalf of the VIP promised in the original program. Organizers are too polite to show disappointment at the absence of their original guest featured in the online brochure. (They don’t bother to change his name card on the VIP table.)

The alter ego shows up properly attired. Even substitutes must still be of a high enough standing to be acceptable for their role. Modesty is expected. There is no pretense of being equal to the one he is substituting.

The surrogate proceeds to the rostrum and reads the speech, confidently using the first person as if he were himself the absent one. He may insert his own warm-up jokes at the start. (I see all of you expected to see someone more important addressing you this afternoon. I’ll be quick.) Those in the audience, who feel deprived of the previously announced guest speaker, are not in a laughing mood.

Can a video greeting, more easily planned and scripted, provide an alternative for a possible absence? Perhaps online meetings which were in vogue during the pandemic shutdown, would make such an approach acceptable.

Still, the physical presence of a well-known personality expounding on his area of expertise is what propels the marketing effort for a seminar. He doubles up as a keynote speaker and panelist in a subsequent discussion group on stage.

Some substitutions can be even more bizarre.

Can an internationally recognized award be afterwards handed over to a substitute who has publicly expressed his worthiness for the honor?

Can an already designated winner subsequently turn over her prize to a vociferous self-anointed “winner”? She can even publicly hand over the plaque and medal (maybe not the cash prize) hoping to get in exchange some support for something else she feels entitled to. The original awarding body may even assert publicly that its award is final and not subject to transfer.

There are more traditional substitutes who are accepted as proxies for others. Their roles are defined as they are part of the accepted social practice.

The spokesman of a company or political figure is one such acknowledged proxy. The opinions he expresses are intended to reflect those of the person or company he represents. There is no effort to dissemble and read a script meant for someone else. Opinions that a spokesperson publicly spouts may even be at odds with those he privately holds. In another time and place, this spokesman may even have expressed an opposite view from what he seems to now be embracing.

The proxy approach is also routinely used in meetings to elect the board of a homeowners’ association or a listed company. A valid vote is assigned to a proxy to represent one who cannot attend.

Isn’t an election a voter’s way of designating someone who represents his advocacies and principles of governance? Doesn’t the organization called the “House of Representatives” embody this principle of being a substitute for the voters who cast their ballots for a particular candidate? Along the way, the substitute can forget whose interests he represents.

Substitution is a regular process in team sports. One advantage of a high-caliber team is a deep bench. In this case there are many substitutes to choose from… to represent the team.

Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda.

ar.samson@yahoo.com