Rehearsal+-+Beginnings

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= The first rehearsal =

Someday you may be directing a play with a large cast. You have a choice.

__Choice Number One__

You could follow in the footsteps of the Director from the diary entry. Result = everyone goes home after approximately 5 hours.

__Choice Number Two__ In your seven and one-half minutes from 7:30 to 7:45, give as much detail, regarding the time commitment for production week. If people are going to drop out because of conflicts, you want it early in the process. Forewarned is forearmed.

You have accomplished a tremendous amount in a much shorter time. Everyone has a rehearsal script divided into units plus contact and scheduling information. There’s no need to read through the entire play when some of the cast say very little.

As you can see from the timeline, the last thing you do is rehearse the curtain call.  = The curtain call = The poor curtain call; often relegated to being worked on 3 days or so before opening at the end of a really, really long rehearsal when everyone is really, really tired and really, REALLY crabby. What’s more, it looks like that when done for the audience.

If you have a large cast, plan and rehearse the curtain call well ahead of time. The bigger the cast, the more rehearsals you need.

Doesn’t it make sense to have a polished curtain call? It's the last thing the audience sees and should be at the same high standard as the rest of the show. It's your show. What final memory do you want the audience to have?

It saves time at the end of the long rehearsals during production week. Why? The tired and hungry cast doesn’t have to think, they know what to do, they can do it right the first time, and that saves time.

The first rehearsal is the ideal place to start practicing the curtain call. Everyone's involved, it can be fun, and then people go home. They’ve had a good time and they’re eager to come back for more. It’s a great way to start Stage 2.