I know I know - how long is a piece of string

Just wondering how directors etc. decide how long a rehearsal period should be, and whether anyone's ever gone on feeling underprepared?
I realise it will differ as to size of production, cast etc but guidelines?????

Purely my opinion. We rehearse for about 5 months which I feel is too long but we usually only meet once a week until just before the show starts. We alternate the first 2 months between cast rehearsals and group workshops. This keeps more people involved, not just those working on the production. Some people (well of those I've come across) learn better (??) under pressure so have problems forcing themselves to learn their lines/characters/relationships/themes etc until panic starts to set in (maybe a little exaggerated but close).

Also, with a long rehearsal period, people can get bored. If you've got a lot of people in the cast then maybe you'll need longer but I think a more intense short timescale is much more preferable.

Anyway, my piece of string is this long

The next Show I'm involved in starts rehearsals in April (once a week till May then twice weekly), the show is in the first week of October. It's a musical which makes things a bit more complicated - Chorus won't have as demending a schedule as principles though.

I guess it's one of the arts of a director getting your cast to the first performance at the right time and state of preperation- I've seen some shows where the cast has been well over rehearsed and cast on the opening night were suffering from fatigue - and obviously we try not to be under prepared either

True Martin. Added to it that people work at different speeds so under prepartion for some is over preperation for others then you start to see just how difficult a directors job is. After all, a light is a light.

This struck a chord with me because in the last couple of weeks I have been to see two shows (actually one was a panto and one was a musical) that were woefully under-rehearsed. As an audience member, I was embarrassed for them frankly. I am also aware that my society is a long way off where it should and another local operatic society the same.

I know there are all sorts of reasons why this should happen but I think societies may be starting to suffer because their GOOD people are spreading themselves too thin. In our area there are too many societies and too few good people. The good people are therefore finding themselves over-committed and miss rehearsals as a consequence. Or is it just me that's thinking like this?

We give ourselves about 3 months before a main show, once and week then twice a week nearer the show if its needed.
I know ours is a different set up to the norm, and we use the first month to test and wheedle out songs and replace if necessary then its intensive rehearsal.
The pantomimes were run along the same lines once then twice a week.

We found the longer we rehearse the same show, the more tedium sets in, and then some people thrive on pressure of a short schedule.

I suppose its all down to what suits your particular group - and what string you use to see how long it is.....

Ah, well we will have an 8 week rehearsal period for our next play - but when we do plays as opposed to musicals, the rehearsals tend to be a lot more intense, and we seem to have more rehearsals!

We put on 4 shows a year, Jan, March/April, June, October - none of our producers have complained yet - well, not about the rehearsal period at least.
Of course, there's still those darn actors to contend with, and that backstage crew...

Our production rehearsals started about 2 weeks ago and the show is not until October. We normally put in a lot of work but only meet once a week until nearer the show. For the last two weeks we meet pretty much every day.

It's funny. We work once a week for months and it seem we're not getting anywhere but the last 2 weeks seem to pull it together: Songs, coreography, routines and scenes.

Does this happen with other groups I wonder?

We rehearse for about 6 months for our spring show. Sounds a long time but with Christmas in the middle people like a break. We do one night a week for chorus with a separate night for principals. It never really comes together until about February when we have a full run to see how it gels. Only then do people suddenly know what the show is about! Bit like a production line really - if you'll pardon the expression.

We have the same problem as Maureen, many of our people pick and choose which show to do so flit between the various groups.

Our biggest problem is not so much inattendence (is that really a word??) but lack of discipline. I can't understand how people can stand around talking whilst the producer is setting a number!

Ah well...

I also find that quite often (most of the time really) we get to production minus two weeks and say to ourselves, "we can't possibly put this show on and expect people to pay, we'll have to pull it". However, without fail, we open wonderfully and go from strength to strength each night and wonder what we were worried about until we get back to production minus two weeks on the next show.

This is our theatrical merry-go-round, our carousel!

And all part of the fun.

For our current production which has been in rehearsals since the begining of November (and is due to be staged in April argggghhh!)
We are still missing 3 characters, who will now, when (if!) they do step in have to learn an 8 minute dance routine!!



I'm sure however that it will all fall into place and the show will be the best seller that it should be (we've already sold over ?22,000 worth of tickets!!)

Well, we seem to have a bit of a different set up from many of the posters here, in that we don't do much in the way of musicals but we do put on over 20 shows per year, so our schedule is pretty hectic.

We allocate space for rehearsals for 6 weeks for each show (including their run-up/tech/dress week) but the director usually has some read-through type rehearsals before this. It does mean rehearsing four times a week though!

wow that is hectic! and theres me begruging an extra rehearsal to our current 2 per week!

<< I'm sure however that it will all fall into place and the show will be the best seller that it should be (we've already sold over ?22,000 worth of tickets!!) >>

Wow! What's your secret??

A very big theatre (over a thousand seats) and high ticket prices (but well worth the money) (potential for ?70,000)
We do spend alot on the productions too, and alot of the money goes to the theatre - so the actual profit is not that much bigger than most!

I've noticed your profile dosn't give any clues as to your whereabouts.
To be able to fill a Theatre of that capacity must mean either there are no other societies around or you are very fortunate.

We manage to (almost) sell out 350 per night but currently, with only 8 weeks to go we have a lot of arm-twisting to do...

We only have to sell 80 tickets a night and usually only manage that on Fridays and Saturday, and we're good, honest!

QUOTE (Eeyore @ Jan 24 2003, 5:00 PM)

To be able to fill a Theatre of that capacity must mean either there are no other societies around or you are very fortunate.

Or just extremely good! ha ha!
No there are some other (very good) societies around. We are probably one of the oldest though. And are fortunate to have good support by the theatre and patrons etc.
We also seem to get very popular musicals to do... although not always, Chess just about broke even!

But we still rehearse twice a week for about 5-6 months!! and still end up, with people coming on when they shouldn't not being there when they should - and this is right up to the dress! but magically it all comes together on opening night.

Round Berkshire...

If you're doing a play, usually it can be anything from 2 months to 4 months depending on the group.

Musicals however usually take about 5 to 6 months.

Got to learn those songs... and more to the point... DANCE!!!! GRRRR BLARG...

With a musical I like three months - or four if it's over the summer as you get a lot of absentees then. For my next show I'm doing 5 months, but only because I'm double casting it.

Musicals require three times the rehearsal in some ways - directing, dancing, singing. All three directors require a huge amount of time, and we only have the one rehearsals space twice a week.

I don't like long rehearsal periods - people learn everything much quicker with repetition. We did "Little Voice" in under a month, starting with one week of 9-5 every day like in pro theatre, then three weeks of three times per week. The show was fantastic!

Casts also forget that rehearsals are not the place to learn lines - that's homework!

Incidentally, for most plays I think 6-8 weeks at twice a week is fine. Some plays around here can get terribly over-rehearsed and lose all their freshness. Actors can look tired and bored, when they should be excited.

And a director should always run a rehearsal schedule to peak on the first night - not before, and definitely not after. If you're ahead of schedule then give them a week off!

We have allowed ourselves 17 weeks to rehearse our current play. Time ticking away as I type. This is a long time for us as it normally takes ages to choose the play. We rehearse once a week. We have a schedule and it's got useful stuff like which acts, scenes etc and when it's bd (books down). Nearer the time, some of the cast meet at one another's homes to word rehearse. Others meet up more often to do their scenes. The week of the play we have one rehearsal, one tech, one dress rehearsal then ......three performances.

It all seems to come together in the end but there's a lot of tears and falling out inbetween...

Best Wishes

Louise

As a performer and Director the thought of rehearsing for 3 or more months for a play or musical fills me with dread. I have seen so many Company's suffer from over rehearsal that when the show finally hits the stage its jaded and dull, and the performances are well past their peek. People will take as long as you give them. I find that a rehearsal period of 6-8 weeks rehearsing twice a week and Sundays works really well. It is amazing how much can be achieved on a 3-5 hour Sunday rehearsal - but, as always, it depends on the commitment and professionalism of the cast. We are currently rehearsing the London premiere of The Scarlet Pimpernel - a huge musical -with seven weeks rehearsal. It's on course and will be ready - the buzz is working together to achieve it. It makes for a great rehearsal atmosphere.

Lee, I agree with you.

One problem is that a lot of groups ask you to direct along their rules - which set rehearsal periods. Partly it's tradition, and partly it's because a lot of people treat it as their weekly social hobby.

A good director will work out a rehearsal schedule that neither bores cast members, nor makes them stale, whilst keeping their interest throughout. One of those hard jobs that directors have to take on - it's not all about being in charge and telling them what to do you know!!

Long and drawn out can be boring, but you takes what you can get!

AS an addition to my earlier mail, we do like to give ourselves 3 months for our main shows but we meet once a week regardless. We do give the cast a break, like we have this January (and a month in the summer) but we still had some that wanted to meet up anyway because they enjoy it so much, so Emma and I agreed to have informal rehearsals which was good to try out new stuff. I guess we are lucky in that respect..

As a designer I prefer the longer rehearsal schedule as you get to see the production develop and get a chance to redevelop your original ideas - sometimes things take time to mull over. most of my best ideas have risen out of the ashes of discarded ones

I don't think there's any one "best" way of constructing a rehearsal schedule. Each group/cast/director/budget is different (yes, budget can count for a lot at ?25 per rehearsal around here).

It takes some negotiations, fun, and like I said before - you take what you're given and you work with it. As long as everyone knows up front what time they've got, they can't complain it's too long or too short!

All this rehearsal time and you call yourselves amateurs? How can that be? When do you all go to your paying jobs? If you go by hours of rehearsals, our rule of thumb is 90 hours for a straight play and 120 hours for a musical. That is about 7 or 8 weeks for a straight play (3 hours an evening, 4 evenings a week) and about 10 weeks for a musical. And believe it or not, we are getting the job done. We would never be able to cast a big show (musical or otherwise) if we took longer than that. It is too hard to get that long term commitment from people.

QUOTE (Eva B @ Feb 3 2003, 6:01 AM)

All this rehearsal time and you call yourselves amateurs

Hmm that hit a nerve and has provoked me into thinking (hard I know)

I've just figured out how many hours I spent on my last big production and it's scary! Over an 8 month period and counting listening to the show CD to and from work most days (figuring out lighting scenes), meetings actual rehearsal attendence (yes lighting men do go) and the actual drawing of the lighting plot,ordering lights and the actual theatre time etc etc I spent the almost 1000 hours on the show - how scary (or sad) is that?


Bearing in mind my next big one isn't till October - but that I've been working on it for about 14 months (on and off) I'm too afraid to even contemplate my final total. I wonder if you all figured out how much time yo putinto this "hobby" if yu'll get as big a shock? Probably

Eva - Interesting that you think that 11 weeks would be a long term commitment!!! I think many people these days (certainly the good people) are in more than one society and often rehearsal periods run into one another. Such people are PERMANENTLY committed to something or other. To only have to be committed for 10 weeks in a year would be SUCH a luxury! And heaven only knows what I'd do with myself for the remaining 42 weeks. Sad, I know.

It's seeing this in writing that makes you realise how dedicated you really are... or that you need a life outside amdram - the jury's out in my case

QUOTE (Eva B @ Feb 3 2003, 6:01 AM)

All this rehearsal time and you call yourselves amateurs? How can that be? When do you all go to your paying jobs? If you go by hours of rehearsals, our rule of thumb is 90 hours for a straight play and 120 hours for a musical. That is about 7 or 8 weeks for a straight play (3 hours an evening, 4 evenings a week) and about 10 weeks for a musical. And believe it or not, we are getting the job done. We would never be able to cast a big show (musical or otherwise) if we took longer than that. It is too hard to get that long term commitment from people.

The more intense the rehearsal period, the less time needed. The more spread out it all is, then the more rehearsal hours you need.

We kept a log of volunteers' time put in at our theatre one year (yes, it was approximate, because much of the time people failed to sign in or state their hours worked). This was just for improving our theatre space, not rehearsal time. Several of us had well over 1,000 hours logged over he year's time. (You're right, it WAS slightly embarrassing to see how very obsessive we are about theatre.)

But with regard to rehearsals, maybe we should stretch it out longer with two rehearsals a week instead of three or four. I know it would be a real luxury to have more time to build sets and costumes...especially when the ones building the sets and costumes are also directing or onstage. Have to give that some serious thought.

Wow!

90 hours and 120 hours!

I managed to pull together a pantomime with 16 * 3 hour rehearsals, and then a dress and tech.

I'd struggle to maintain interest in such a long rehearsal period.

With regards to the duration of each rehearsal, I firmly believe that 3 hours maximum, together with a break is the rule. I'd drop it to 2 1/2 but we get charged for 3 anyway!

Rehearsal schedules are what they are -
The opening night is what it is -
Long before we do what we do!
Pre Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
From experience no matter what - If you have committed the production & team to the opening performance date - it happens. It is up to the quality & emperical skills of all concerned to evaluate what the shows needs are & how to get it.
If you give 12 months or 12 weeks or 12 days it must be within the capabilities of everyone or don?t do it. Rehearsing for too long can be worse than not enough.
I have the leading lady decide, 2 weeks before opening, to take another part in some other show. So a chorus member stepped up & took her part. Unfortunately the stand in lost her voice, the day of the opening, & could only whisper.. So we put a radio mike on her & another chorus member sang with an off stage mike & it worked very well.
The Choreographer & Musical Director pulled the pin on 'A chorus line' three weeks to opening. Again 2 members of the cast stepped in and did a much better job! So much so when I advised the cast that they had gone - the cast cheered & got down to work & it was a brilliant opening night. The season played to sell out audiences.
In theatre it always seems to come down to the last few weeks that make it count. So how long should it take ?- I have no idea!

CHOOKAS
Joe McCabe

Another reason for long drawn-out rehearsal periods is the fact that a small number of people have to do a large number of other things on the show.

I've found that actors often only put in the 4 or 5 hours per week that they're at rehearsals.

As I director, I know it is an all consuming job. Currently I'm 6 days from auditions for my next show, and everyone has suddenly realised they want to book auditions. Some of them haven't even come to me for CD's or details on the show yet - consequently every minute I'm not at work or asleep is now filled with driving round the countryside delivering this stuff!

As soon as auditions are out of the way, there are weekly production meetings with wardrobe/sound/light/staging/set building/publicity and many others.

I guess a director puts in around 50+ hours per week, as does a producer, and a lot of other people.

For shorter rehearsal periods, all this is intensified........HELP!!!!

Anne-Marie - in case you think my posting on the "inconsequential" thread today (moaning about my director) is unappreciative of all a director does, let me reassure you this is not the case!!!! This particular director is actually not a bad PRODUCER but has never directed before and it's proving beyond his interpersonal skills. That's a polite way of saying he's a rude old git.

The true answer should be...

"It takes as long as it takes untill suddenly you an't got any time left..."

I've jumped in at the last minute to take over Gerald in Me and MY girl...

THAT was 2 weeks of hell but included dancing.

If actors put their minds to it and some time to it, you can put on a show/play in 3 or 4 weeks.

Agree agree agree! Now can someone tell the rest of the cast that.

The entertainment industry is the only one where deadlines can't shift (well the final one anyway) we all know that at x time on a certain day there will be paying people sitting in seats waiting to see a show - certainly concentrates the mind

No matter the gripes and the pressure - it's a wonderful feeling after a good show whatever part you play - I guess that's why we do it?

QUOTE (Martin @ Feb 11 2003, 1:27 PM)

The entertainment industry is the only one where deadlines can't shift

Can I have your other job please Martin?

There are plenty of industries where a deadline means just that!

Robin

Aw shucks but ya know what I meant Robin...... How often does a complete audience get told the show's not ready (and won't be for a weeks or so) Customers can be (and oftern are)



> How often does a complete audience get told the show's not ready<

Obviously I didn't include A Cameron McIntosh production in that statement

Rehearsal periods are always long enough - however long or short they are. But that mad rush at the last minute is a good adrenalin surge. I hate stale shows, I'd much rather make it JUST by the skin of our teeth!

I like knowing my stuff 1 month before the show.

Then relax into it... Picking up pace 1 week before...

Then AARRGHHHHHHHHHH Drink lots of RED BULL to get me through...

Red Bull's fine, George.....but don't slip the vodka into it!!