Drama Dictionary: 2 Dow Shay

 

Welcome back to the Drama Dictionary, a place to learn the definitions for the most obscure terms relating to theater, so you can be in the know and slang like a pro!

So this one is a newer term to me, but apparently it's a well-known saying in the world of Broadway. I even googled it because I wasn’t quite sure how to spell it, and a couple of articles popped up, including one with Lin Manuel-Miranda! Pretty cool. But don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard this before, because I’ve been DEEP into theater for over three years now and hadn’t learned it until a month ago. (Props to my fishy friends CY and FW for opening my ears!)

So here it it: 2 Dow Shay (/tooˈdaʊ shā/; Noun)

Ok, what? What is a 2 Dow Shay? Here's my hint: Say it aloud a few times, maybe mix up the letters and sounds a bit. 2 Dow Shay…2 Sow Dhay…2 Show…

Got a guess?

A 2 Dow Shay is a spoonerism (A transposition of sounds of two or more words, especially a ludicrous one, such as Let me sew you to your sheet for Let me show you to your seat) for 2 Show Day. We performers love to be so unique and unexpected that we can’t even use normal slang, we have to mix it up.🤷‍♀️😂 But personally, I like it that way! And it may sound strange, but truthfully this is a term theater-goers actually use. 

Now, what does 2 Dow Shay mean?

At a lot of professional theaters, including Broadway, one show is performed four times over the weekend, twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday. I can tell you from experience that it's a lot of work and requires a ton of energy, but it's also super fun and really bonding for a cast. Before I had ever done my own 2 Dow Shay, I had a hard time imagining putting on an entire show, and then turning around and doing it again the same day, with the same level of performance as before. But somehow, the pros do that weekend after weekend, and never get tired of it.

I also feel like it's quite the theatrical milestone to participate in your first 2 Dow Shay. I mean, once you’ve done something like that, no one can take it away from you however hard they try. It’s satisfying to prove to yourself that you can hang and give your best two shows in a row. I’m impressed by anyone who has ever done a 2 Dow Shay. (Polite applause for those hard workers!👏👏)

This is one of my favourite terms to use because it's so silly, and almost feels like it's from another language. AND it's fun to say. I need a shirt or something that reads 2 Dow Shay. 

I hope this has helped, and that you’ve learned something new about Broadway today. If you have any questions, or you have come across a theater word that you don’t understand, please comment below and ask me about it! I would love to hear from you. 

Remember to stop and smell the roses! Curtain up!

Rosie