Creating A Time Line (Rehearsal Schedule)
In theatre the term for a practice schedule is rehearsal. The idea behind a rehearsal is to make choices and decisions and then, through repetition, "re-hear" them. A rehearsal is the theatrical process for making the strongest choices and decisions to help an audience understand and follow the plot of a play. Rehearsals run on the assumption that everyone at the rehearsal is there to listen and explore the text, looking for the most succinct way(s) to act and share the plot of the play for an audience. The actors' listening and exploration is focused on creating clear and effective characters behaving truthfully to the circumstances of the play's plot. Everyone at the rehearsal understands that repetition is necessary because it allows for choices and decisions to be tested
and tried. If these choices and decisions are clear and helpful to the telling of the story they are memorized and further rehearsed. If not, they are discarded
as too confusing or ineffective.
Planning an effective rehearsal schedule is not difficult if you think of the final performance as a table with four legs supporting it.
Leg One: Focus - the commitment and energy necessary to every rehearsal and paramount to the success of the final performance.
Leg Two: Choosing - selecting the text and casting the roles
Leg Three: Rehearsing - staging the action and practicing
Leg Four: Finalizing - adding costumes and scener
The final performance rests on the success of each of the four legs being sturdy and solid. This strength is created through a plan of action and follow-through
of that plan. Because every rehearsal schedule is unique to the site and production personnel, there is no "one" plan of action in creating a successful
rehearsal schedule.
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This is an example of a rehearsal schedule using the ACTivities of eShakespeare:
Week 1 | Week 2 | Weeks 3-5 | Weeks 6-8 | Week 9 | Week 10
Week 1: Introduction
Use this week to introduce theatre terms, Shakespeare's language, and readings of potential material to be performed.
Suggested eShakespeare ACTivities: Stage Directions, Living the Language: Iambic Pentameter, Body Encyclopedia
Week 2: Casting
Use this week to cast speaking roles.
Suggested eShakespeare ACTivities: Physical Warm-up, Vocal Warm-up, Boal's Chair-Power Positions, Shakespeare's Characters, and Punctuation Guide
Questions:
Have you secured a consistent rehearsal space?
Have you created an audition form for the actors to fill out?
Have you identified other supporting positions for the performance (stage manager, sound designer/operator, lighting designer/operator, stage hands, etc.)?
Have you set production meeting dates throughout the rehearsal schedule to keep all of the design elements on track and in communication with each other?
Have you set firm dates for completion of scenic and technical elements?
Are there permission forms and other pieces of paperwork due during the first three weeks?
If publicity and ticket sales are a concern, a publicity/promotion calendar should be designed and implemented during the first three weeks if not before.
Weeks 3-5: Exploring The Text
Use these weeks to define what the performance will be: scenes, monologues, an original adaptation of choral work, or a combination of these elements.
Keep in mind that any theatre-based work is more successful with a physical and vocal warm-up at the start of each session/rehearsal.
Suggested eShakespeare ACTivities: Choral Improvisation, Performance Options, and Character Energy
Weeks 6-8: Seeing and Hearing
Use these weeks to work on clarity and diction of the performance piece(s). The actors should have their lines memorized and know where and when they
move on stage. Each rehearsal should be focused on a specific challenge to the actors.
Suggested eShakespeare ACTivities: Number Dialogue, Step Back: Intention Projection, Movie With Music, Shakespeare's Characters, and Punctuation Guide
Week 9: Setting
Use this week to finalize the performance piece(s). If possible, the performance venue should be replicated so that the actors (and crew) have an approximation
of the space they will be performing in. The piece(s) should be run without stopping followed by observation notes from both the director and the actors.
Questions:
Have you created an atmosphere that encourages learning from mistakes and risk taking?
Are you allowing the piece(s) time to set - careful to not make too many changes, allowing time for the actors to work through the piece as a whole, etc.?
Have you given the actors dates for when everything needs to be memorized?
Are the actors outfitted with costumes and/or props?
Are there additional permission forms and other pieces of paperwork due?
Have you been notified of any changes to performance time and venue?
Week 10: Final Rehearsals with Observation Notes
Use this week, which should conclude with the final production, to rehearse the piece(s) with all technical and scenic elements. The piece(s) should be run without stopping followed by observation notes from the director.
The task of taking observation notes is essentially the same as leading rehearsals, the difference is that observation notes come after the actors' work not during it. The taking and giving of observation notes (or notes as they are called in the theatre) should be a welcomed addition to the rehearsal process. Notes help the actors and the director stay on task and maintain the clarity and simplicity necessary to help the audience understand the play.
Because notes are usually taken while the director is sitting in the audience, actors are able to receive feedback about the effectiveness of their work from the point of view of the audience. Directors can use this time to make sure all of the action and characters on stage can be seen and heard, making adjustments as necessary. Here are some guidelines on notes:
Break into notes. Notes should never be a burden or "one more thing" to do. Notes are a form of communication, directors should be sensitive and allow
everyone to have time to make ready and be open to that communication. After the actors finish their work give them time to relax, gather their things, and prepare for the note session.
Keep notes positive. Actors may tend to think notes are only for scolding them. Notes should be prefaced as an important, vital, and positive final step in assuring a quality final performance. If you are only taking notes to fix or change things, be sure and offer the actors positive feedback prior to sharing the fix-it list.
Take note of "You." Directors should use the word "you" carefully. Notes should never be personal. When posing questions, directors need to be
clear about who they want an answer from, the actor or the character. Explain to the actors that "you" usually means the character not the actor.
Keep notes open to ideas. Just as the actors listen to the director's notes, a director should be open to listening and trying notes given by the actors.
Actors know the inner feelings and workings of the play in ways different than the director. Actors' perceptions and insights should be welcomed additions
to the notes session.
Keep notes experiential. Although it is tempting for a director to tell an actor how to say his/her words, directors should be careful not to do it. Line readings, as they are called in the theatre, are one of the worst mistakes a director can make when working with actors. Directors can ask actors to review their lines, inviting them to share any questions about sense or meaning. Directors should be careful not to judge ("You're doing it . . . and it should be done . . ."). Notes are best if concerns are posed as inquiry: "How would you say the line if you were upset?" "What do you think the line means?" are effective ways to lead an actor toward stronger choices.
Keep notes short and to the point. Actors need to be able to write the notes down so that they can review them and apply them the next time they rehearse. When taking notes make a side note as to where in the play the note takes place (page number, scene, key sentence, etc.). Directors should not use the note session as a lecture.
Work and fix after notes. The actors need as many opportunities to run their work from beginning to end without interruptions. If you note that staging needs to be fixed or changed, write the note and then fix or change the work after all of the notes have been given. Be sure to allow time for actors to run the changes before excusing them from rehearsal.
Giving your actors a list of expectations for notes will help them to understand the note process:
Notes come from the audience's perception of the play - everyone in the production needs to remember that their jobs are based on making clear and succinct choices
and decisions. Notes are a way for the director to share with actors what the audience sees and hears.
Notes are helpful compliments - if actors did not "give" something they would not be able to "receive" notes. Actors should hear a "thank
you for your work and . . ." before each note whether a director says it or not. Notes, even if they seem to be negative, are really invitations to make good work even better.
Notes should be written down - actors need to review and apply any notes during the next rehearsal. The same note should never be given twice.
Notes only come from the director - actors should never give another actor a note.
"You" usually means the character not you the actor - it is hard, but necessary, to receive constructive criticism. Actors should take notes as they are intended, to help create clear and effective characters behaving truthfully to the circumstances of the play's plot. Notes should never be taken (or given) personally.
Actors should not feel the need to explain -more often than not actors should take their notes without apology or explanation.
Questions are always welcome - but actors should be sensitive in how questions are asked. Keep questions free of judgment ("I think") and blame ("S/he did . . ."). If an actor has specific concerns about another actor or the work, the actor should ask the director to meet one-on-one after the note session or before the next rehearsal.
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