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  • 1.  Conflicts

    Posted 08-16-2018 12:45
    Conflicts the hardest thing to deal with in scheduling!!  I'm sure you all agree.  I'm looking for a better way to collect and organize the cast's conflicts.  I've tried so many different methods and it seems to always be cumbersome.  What have you found that works?  

    and not allowing conflicts is not an option my school is too small.

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    Aileen Zeigler
    Theatre Arts Director
    Omaha NE
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  • 2.  RE: Conflicts

    Posted 08-16-2018 13:23
    I put a rehearsal calendar on the audition form, and ask that they mark all known conflicts, both confirmed AND tentative. I use that to put together a rehearsal schedule, which I distribute to the cast with all excused conflicts noted. That way, everyone knows who is expected and who is not.

    New conflicts do sometimes happen, but I pick a date about a week into rehearsal that is the 'cut-off' for requesting new excused absences. After that, they have to make it work (and, barring illness or injury, they nearly always do).

    I also tell them that it's the principal, not me, who approves their participation in the show, and attendance is the first thing he looks at. Missing rehearsals, missing school, are the quickest way to get yourself in trouble with your extracurriculars. All my students know that it's not cool to miss, and they hold each other accountable.

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    Josh Kauffman
    Teacher
    Winfield AL
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Conflicts

    Posted 08-21-2018 08:50

    I sometimes wonder if we are too accommodating of conflicts. What sports coach works around the players conflicts. I once had a girl who skipped rehearsal because she had to help her boyfriend pick out his tux for the prom. Did I replaces her? No. Why?  Because we had a small school and it was difficult enough to fill out the cast in the first place. I had someone else who couldn't understand why they couldn't be a lead when they had a conflict with a performance.

    How many rehearsals days have we seen where there were so many conflicts that rehearsal became impractical. I know we want to be inclusive, taking all who want to be involved. But ask, "How involved do they really want to be?"  We excuse absences because they were on the conflict calendar. What's the limit on conflicts? 

    Ask for conflicts at auditions, because students need to understand that conflicts can and will effect casting. Especially, If they want a lead, they need to be conflict free. 

    Imagine someone saying, "Well coach I want to be the quarterback, but I an going to miss quite a few practices and I can't play homecoming." Even if a player is going to sit on the bench most of the time during a game, they are expected to be at every practice.

    We do a disservice when we allow the student actors to treat the play as nothing more than a social activity. If we don't take it seriously, how will they?



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    James Van Leishout
    Olympia WA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Conflicts

    Posted 08-21-2018 11:15
    I have a male and female swing in every non musical I do. While it is rare, I have replaced actors with swings if they miss too many rehearsals. All the kids sign an acknowledgement that if more than 3 rehearsals are missed they may be replaced. I'm pretty easy going about what constitutes an excusal (tutoring, making up a test, pre-set appointments, etc) they are required to text or email the student stage manager so she can mark them excused on the sign in sheet. It's not perfect but it's worked really well. 

    Whatever you choose, make sure that you have your admin's support.

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    Shira Schwartz
    Chandler Unified School District
    Chandler AZ
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    Original Message


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