Rehearsals
- Notes on Rehearsals
- Sample Rehearsal Schedule (outline)
- Detailed Rehearsal Schedule
- Monologue Coaching Notes
Rehearsal Notes
- 1> It helps your actors get "off-book" sooner by knowing that someone is there if they need help with a line.
2> The sooner the Director can get their eyes away from the script and concentrate what is happening onstage, the better. There are a lot of people and a lot of food to keep track of!
Sample Rehearsal Schedule*
| Date | Activity |
| Six weeks before, | Auditions |
| Week 1: Tue | 7 - 8 pm First Rehearsal - Read Thru Administrative (Measurements, etc.) |
| Week 1: Thurs | 7 - 8 pm Block entire show |
| Week 2: Tue | 7 - 8 pm Review Blocking |
| Week 2: Thurs | 7 - 8 pm Work first half of show 8-9 Work Monologues |
| Week 3: Tue | 7 - 8 pm Work last half of Show 8-9 Work Monologues |
| Week 3: Thurs | 7 - 8 pm Run Show X2 (twice) |
| Week 4: Tue | 7 - 8:00 pm Work Thru show |
| Week 4: Thurs | 7 - 8:00 pm Run Thru X2 |
| Week 5: Mon | 7 - 9 pm Tech run through X2 (twice) |
| Week 5: Tue | 7 - 9 pm Tech/Dress X2 |
| Week 5: Wed | 7 - 9 pm Final Dress X2 /Notes |
| Week 5: Thurs | 7:00 Performance (6 pm call) |
*Production Schedule (Actual 2006 rehearsal schedule from original production)
Detailed Rehearsal Schedule
| Date | Activity |
| Six weeks before, | Auditions. I had each actor read one of the monologues from the show at least twice (as done in a typical acting class where the instructor has you explore different motivations, different objectives), then observed how they reacted to my suggestions, how well they followed directions, how easily they trusted me with their imaginations. Stronger readers don’t always mean they will be stronger actors– but you can get a good idea in an audition situation. I didn’t have any of the group scenes read. As far as “matching” people, I didn’t worry about that at all. Age can either be played with makeup or by using a real “old” actor. An interesting fact: I didn’t finish writing the script until I knew how many actors were available. My fear was in writing a script that needed 15 actors– but only having 5 audition! |
| Week 1: Tue | 7 - 8 pm First Rehearsal - Read Thru/Administrative (Measurements, etc.) This is just a get-together where we let everyone hear the story (it was a new script, so nobody knew anything at all about it), and take care of schedules, measurements, contact sheets, etc. |
| Week 1: Thurs | 7 - 8 pm Block entire show. I usually have the actors just sit down and write down all the blocking first, then get them up on their feet to go through it. I underestimated the level of inexperience of the actors. Many didn’t understand the need to write down the blocking (“I’ll remember.”). Some had no idea what Stage Left and Stage Right meant or anything about blocking notation (X = cross, etc.). After a quick lesson about stage areas, notation, etc., it took the whole hour to get the blocking written down– but they got it. |
| Week 2: Tue | 7 - 8 pm Review Blocking. This was the first time they got to get up on their feet and go through the blocking. It took the whole hour to get through the show. We found many places where they mis-wrote the blocking or where I told them the wrong blocking. |
| Week 2: Thurs | 7 - 8 pm Work first half of show; 8-9 pm: Work Monologues. We reviewed the review of the blocking. This is where I fixed a lot of the traffic problems of the show. With all the women on stage most of the time, it was important to explain GIVING, TAKING, and SHARING FOCUS– which are CRUCIAL to this show. Once they understood the concept of focus, they helped guide the focus for the audience and it prevented a lot of traffic problems. After the regular rehearsal, I kept some of the actors who had monologues later so we could do some one-on-one coaching. Mostly, I helped them discover WHY their character was speaking and what they hoped to communicate to the audience. |
| Week 3: Tue | 7 - 8 pm: Work last half of Show; 8-9 Work Monologues. A continuation of the previous rehearsal, this time working on the second half of the show. I had to explain that with all the entrances and exits taking place, they needed to be sure that the actor leaving or entering wasn’t standing in front of them when they were speaking– more lessons on Focus. Again, after rehearsal, we had more one-on-one coaching of monologues. |
| Week 3: Thurs | 7 - 8:00 pm Run Show X2 (twice) This was their first time going non-stop through the show. It allowed them to get a feel for continuity and helped them become more aware of their character’s “through-line.” After notes, we did it again. They began to “get it” during the second run thru. It was neat to see their little lightbulbs turn on.... We talked a lot about how their crowd reactions are part of the support group that women are good at– and it’s crucial to this show. Two weeks until opening! I suggested that they be off book by the next rehearsal. I don’t like to threaten actors– especially amateurs. I just let them know that, if they are pacing themselves correctly, they should be able to be off book by now. If they aren’t off book, I don’t put any pressure on them– I’ll help them find a way to work around it. The nice thing about this show is that, with the tables, they could easily have a “cheat sheet” hidden away from the audience’s sight– IF NEEDED. A couple actors ended up using a couple pieces of paper with cue lines– but nothing major. And nobody had a nervous breakdown from the pressure of having to be weaned off the script. |
| Week 4: Tue | 7 - 8:00 pm Work Thru show After the previous rehearsal’s run-thrus, this was a chance to do some more fine tuning. I brought in a big bag of carrots to give them something to play with while they’re supposed to be preparing food. This is a HUGE perishable prop show. After this rehearsal, they had some very good suggestions as to what other veggies, etc. to use. They particularly asked for carrots, cucumbers, apples, nectarines, olives, lettuce, and rice. |
| Week 4: Thurs | 7 - 8:00 pm Run Thru X2 Again, continuity work. We ran it, had notes, then ran it again. They all “had it” by this time. They were having fun. One week to opening! |
| Week 5: Mon | 7 - 9 pm Tech run through X2 (twice). This is their first rehearsal with all the food. This is when we discovered what props we were still missing. I told them that, really, the only thing missing now is “Telling the Story.” Keeping that in mind, they can better help with transitions from scene to scene, from new moment to new moment– and of course the ever-mentioned FOCUS. |
| Week 5: Tue | 7 - 9 pm Tech/Dress X2. We added microphones and the sound system. This was the first time in costume to see what all we were still missing. A lot of sandals were too, too modern (mostly because of bright colors) so we just had them go barefoot. This was the first “sink or swim” rehearsal. If they forgot a line, they couldn’t call for it– they had to figure it out or rely on their fellow actors to come to their aid (just as in a performance). |
| Week 5: Wed | 7 - 9 pm Final Dress X2 /Notes First time with the Pre-show music. The first time through was as close to performance levels of everything as possible. After notes, we worked a couple fuzzy sections then ran it again. We ran the curtain call, making it very simple: one group line, everyone bow, taking their cue from whoever was in the middle of the line. |
| Week 5: Thurs (Maundy Thursday) |
7:00 Performance (6 pm call) After the service, the pastor asked the congregation to exit quietly, remembering that this is the beginning of the darkest hours in Christ’s life– but that if they desired, they could stop by the fellowship hall and greet the actors. After greeting those who chose to come “backstage,” we had a cast party of sorts where we ate the turkey (that was used in the show as the “lamb”) and other dishes brought by the cast. |
A Note about Production Schedule:
We really did only have 17 hours of rehearsal in 5 weeks. If you have a director who is efficient and knows what s/he is doing, you can certainly use a similar schedule. If, however, you have a lot of inexperienced actors in your cast and/or have an inexperienced director, you might want to plan to rehearse 90 minutes per day instead of just 60. Be careful not to burn your actors out early by rehearsing too long per session. 90 minutes per session is the maximum I would suggest for a 6+ week schedule for a 30-minute show. The actors will appreciate your being considerate of their time commitment.