understudy
noun
[ ˈʌndəstʌdi ]
• (in the theatre) a person who learns another's role in order to be able to act at short notice in their absence.
• "he has played as understudy to Celtic's usual goalkeeper"
Similar:
stand-in,
substitute,
replacement,
reserve,
fill-in,
locum,
proxy,
backup,
relief,
standby,
supply,
surrogate,
stopgap,
second,
alternative,
ancillary,
locum tenens,
sub,
pinch-hitter,
understudy
verb
• study (a role or actor) as an understudy.
• "he had to understudy Prospero"
