I rehearses 3 days a week--Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. 2-2.5 hours each day. This is because hour extracurricular choir ensembles rehearse on Mondays, and our Speech Team has a mandatory all-team rehearsal on Tuesdays. Because of this, and because I am trying to instill a bit of performer discipline in them, I empahsize that they should spend 20 minutes a day with their script. It could be spent on one scene they are having trouble memorizing, or reading to get more character info out of the script. But 20 minutes a day so that when they are in rehearsal, they can show off the new stuff they have been working on and learning.
In addition, I have students fill out a conflict sheet before auditions. They have a copy of the production schedule, and they are responsible for filling out any and all conflicts with other groups they are in. Those sponsors/coaches/directors then sign off and say if they will share time or not. Parents also need to look at it for anything that would cause a student to be absent or have to leave early. Anything not on the conflict sheet that they bring up later (even if it was scheduled after auditions), becomes an unexcused absence. After 2 of those, we sit down and talk about if they are going to continue with the show. But we use those conflict sheets in our casting so we know what kind of time commitment we will be getting out of our actors.
This has greatly reduced my headaches.
Hope this helps!
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Raymond Palasz
Auditorium Director/Director of Theatre
Schererville IN
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-18-2017 07:58
From: Dianne Rowe
Subject: Least conflicting ehearsal schedule?
I teach Middle School, so my tactics may or may not help you. :)
My biggest conflict in terms of number of cast affected is our show choir. They rehearse on Mondays, so we don't have play rehearsal on Mondays, unless I am only calling a few non-show-choir folks to work on a specific scene. The fall sports that are our biggest conflict are cross country and volleyball, and sadly, we have not reached a compromise for those kids. They simply have to choose.
I tell my kids that if they are cast in the show and then decide to pursue other activities, that the show has to be the priority until it's over. Most sponsors of other activities support me in this and we have been able to compromise most of the time.
As far as other conflicts - like family trips, birthdays, etc, etc, that invariably come up, I have a policy that any known conflicts must be turned in by the first rehearsal. There is a conflict request on the audition forms...but people tend to remember things once it becomes a reality. Any absence that was not turned in on time becomes unexcused. For ensemble, three unexcused absences result in having featured lines or moments given to someone else as backup. Five absences mean those lines are reassigned permanently. For our musicals, if they are out and unexcused on days we set large ensemble numbers, they risk being left out of those songs. If leads have excessive unexcused absences, I will assign them an understudy, who then gets to play the role in one of our three performances.
I have only had to assign an understudy for a lead once in four years, but it made a major impact.
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Dianne Rowe
Birmingham AL
Original Message:
Sent: 09-17-2017 18:10
From: Kat Movassaghi
Subject: Least conflicting ehearsal schedule?
Hi, how do you juggle the students' other after-school commitments which may clash with their commitment to the production they are in? We are a participatory school, so there is usually a large cast. The leads are always committed; it's the ensemble/minor roles that I had trouble with last year. I'm just looking for some fresh ideas on how others handle these issues! Thanks!
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Kat Movassaghi
Drama teacher
Episcopal School of Acadiana
Cade, LA
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