Hi,

I'm just scheduling rehearsals and was wondering if anyone had a formula for putting a rehearsal schedule together.

Do you start off doing little bits then slowly build up to rehearsing whole acts or vice versa, or wade straight in with whole acts then focus on the problematic bits leaving time in the schedule for this, or...

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks.

The way I always do it is to work backwards.
Work out where you want your Act runs to be, where you want you scrappy runs to be, plus any other milestones. If you're doing a musical, work out roughly when the MD is available and the Choreographer and then block those first. ASk them how many rehearsals they need in an ideal world, then work around it from there - normally they get less than they want, and so do you.

Ensure that you give as much time for Act II as for Act I.

Also, plan when you are doing your walkdown setting as it gives something to work towards.

Also, use Excel and draw a month-by-month grid diary to help you plan it out.

--
Mike Horne

I also do a grid showing which cast members are in which scenes. That way you know who to call and whether you can, say, have one group working on dialogue and another on music without expecting someone to be in two places at once.

And have another grid which shows when any critical cast members have prior commitments (work/holidays/other shows) so you work round them.

Of course it's easiest (conceptually) just to run all the rehearsals in show order but you get better cooperation if people are called only when really needed. That is, if someone is involved in three scenes, you try to rehearse those scenes as a block rather than call them on three separate nights. Of course, nearer the show then you start to do straight run-throughs.

H

Thanks a load guys, that's really useful!

A show is a project and thus the use of project management techniques are useful. This is called planning.

Initially, we try to block the whole show at the start. This gives all the idea of what the director has in mind, and I find that learning the show is easier when yo have an idea of the concept behind it.

But then split your cast into the groups so you can call them when they are needed and give them time off when they are not.

Bear in mind time off during shows (holidays, business trips etc)

If you do not issue some sort of schedule early enough, you will find people getting confused, and then booking time away thinking they might not be needed (he did not use me last week so this week will be okay to go to dinner!!!)

Plan, plan and plan again. If you can use MS Project, this is a great tool for this type of work.

Just my 2 cents worth

Jim