PREPARING FOR

REHEARSALSCHAPTER 10

Rehearsals should be ‘fun’

oWell-organized not painfuloEfficient not drainingoProductive not a waste of timeoJoyful not emotional

Have a clear plan• You need to free the director and actors to

concentrate on bringing the play to life

• Free and unstructured rehearsals can lead to interesting results

BUT

• Structure enables the creative process by freeing the brain and heart

Director’s checklistPreparing for rehearsal

Organize the schedule (integrating actor conflicts) Make rehearsal plans Prepare a DPN (Director’s Production Notebook) Organize the rehearsal props Define the role and responsibilities of the PSM Develop a sign-in system, if needed Clearly communicate expectations to actors Set rehearsal rules Compile a contact list Display groundplans and elevations Create a safe environment Request that the actors prepare for each rehearsal and set goals

Rehearsal Schedules

Rehearsal Schedules

Equity Calls• Actors are on call for all rehearsals• They are required to attend whenever called• Typical work week is TU-SAT from 10 a.m. to 6

p.m.• During Techs and Dresses, Equity rules allow for

later callso EIGHT OUT OF TEN. A schedule wherein actors can be scheduled for up

to eight hours in a ten hour day.o TEN OUT OF TWELVE. A standard call for tech and dress rehearsal

periods.

• BREAKSo Equity requires five-minute breaks every hour or ten minutes if you

work an hour and a half…PSM monitors these times carefully

REHEARSAL RULES1. Ten minutes early is on time.2. Call PSM if you are going to be late.3. Warm up on your own4. Be prepared5. No complaining6. No cellphones7. Breaks on the hour or hour and a half8. No “directing” other actors9. Problems? Speak up!10.Finish eating before, after or during breaks11.Come to rehearsal “high” on art, nothing else12.Come to rehearsal with goals and plans13.Bring something to read when not onstage14.If you need help, ask for it15.Have fun, don’t take it too seriously

College & community theatre

• Students and working people have thousands of things going on in their lives

• Even when the director insists on no conflicts, they are an inevitability

• As such, it is better to cast a good actor with a few conflicts than a mediocre one with none—but not always

• Once you cast, use the audition form to help guide you in planning your rehearsal schedule

• Keep the list of conflicts at hand as you schedule, make sure the PSM has a copy

Creating a schedule• Break the script into french scenes/rehearsal units• For musicals, add songs and dance numbers to

the breakdowns• Make a list of all scenes everyone is involved in• Note how much time is needed for each “unit”• Consider carefully the scheduling of first runs and

designer/crew watches• Note dates for techs, dresses and performances

Schedule the ‘landmarks’

PLAY• First day• Table readings• Blocking rehearsals• Off-book• Runthroughs• Crew watch• Final runthrough• Spacing rehearsals• Technicals• Final Dress• Opening Night

MUSICAL• First day• Music rehearsals• Dance/staging rehearsals• Off-book• Runthroughs and brush-

ups• Crew watch• Final runthrough• Spacing rehearsals• Technicals• Final Dress• Opening Night

First Meeting

Designer presentations and readthrough

Already scheduled rehearsals

Add your crew watches, techs, dresses, performances into your grid…

First runthrough

This should be between the halfway point and ¾ point of the rehearsal process before the Techs

Table readingHow much time you need depends upon what your goals are

Blocking rehearsals

• Schedule scene by scene

• Try to schedule actors back to back

• Breakdown each rehearsal

• Double-check conflicts

• Be respectful of everyone’s time

For a musical…• Music rehearsals – non-musicians will need more time• Read and sing-through should be added to the schedule• Staging and dance rehearsals will often need to be

scheduled out of sequence• Music and dance reviews will always be needed• Full runs are trickier since so much more in involved

Review the schedule• Check and double-check before publishing…

Prepare the rehearsal room

Rehearsal props/furniture

Water and restrooms Director’s table/chairs Prop table Rack for rehearsal

clothes Chairs for actors and

staff Ground plan Set renderings Costume renderings

Final Thoughts

The first rehearsals set the tone for the entire process

Stumble-throughs• You need to review as often as you can