Preparing for the rehearsal process
The rehearsal process is important and focuses on creating, developing and refining a piece of drama before the final performance.
Time management
Deadlines are crucial, making it important to plan out what is going to happen and when during the rehearsal process. Each production will have a schedule, which will note any technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals. It is useful to allow extra time in the schedule to complete any tasks that miss their original deadline.
Working as a team
Everyone in a production has a clear role, and with that clear responsibility. Everyone needs to know what they should be doing, as well as how their role fits in with the rest of the team and the whole production. For this, good communication is essential. In the early stages of the production cycle, research can be done into particular roles, which could include watching videos or reading about a specific topic, going to live theatre performances, or developing a particular skill. Each member of the production also needs to be aware of all health and safety considerations to ensure that everyone, including the audience, is kept safe.
Decision-making in early rehearsals
In the early stages of the rehearsal process, the defining features for the piece need to be created and a number of important decisions therefore need to be made:
- aims and intentions – these need to be clear, and individual aims need to align with the group’s overall intentions
- target audience – this needs to be decided early on in the process and will impact performance and design decisions
- setting – where and when the performance is set, as well as what’s happening in that time period (social, cultural and historical context) to inform design and language use
- genre – determined by the group when devising, to communicate the intention of the piece to an audience
- style – how theatrical ideas are presented on stage; style is not a limiting decision as ideas can be fused together, blending multiple concepts
- form – the conventions or building blocks of a performance, often aligned with its genre or performance
- structure – how scenes are placed together for effect, whether linear or episodic; the placement of scenes will impact the way in which the story is received by an audience, and may help to offer multiple perspectives
Types of early rehearsals
When devising a piece of theatre, early rehearsals need to focus on the aims and the creation of appropriate material. The question ‘What is the point?’ can be repeated to help link thinking back to what the piece aims to communicate. This can be very useful when considering the desired audience response and longer-term audience impact.
Blocking
The performance can then be worked through scene by scene to establish where actors should be on the stage and when, known as blocking. The main focus should be:
- the use of space
- the set
- how to establish mood and atmosphere
Designers can also plan out their ideas during this process and analyse the requirements for their designs. For example, if levels are needed centre stage the set designer will need to plan for this.
Mid-rehearsal process for designers and performers
Designers
With initial ideas established, the team will begin to expand, develop and improve on them in a very practical process. The design team will need to be involved and consider the staging configurtion, how it’s being used and the type of sightlines the audience will have.
- set design- consider the inclusion of any revolves, trucks, projection etc
- costume design – consider hair and make-up choices, plus any use of masks, wigs, adornments or small props
- lightning design – consider features such as direction, colour, intensity and special effects
- sound design – consider features such as amplification, music and sound effects, either live or recorded
Performers
Performers will have established the key facts of their characters, eg names, age and background, and now need to ensure that their vocal and physical performance choices are appropriate. They should consider:
- their language choices
- what they communicate subtly through this (the subtext)
- the character motivation and objectives
- the relationships between performers and audience
When thinking about movement, it is important to consider how a performer can use the set and costume and how that can impact their movements.
Final rehearsal stage
Polishing
Polishing allows the team to refine the performance and design elements, referring back to the original aims to see if they are being communicated clearly. Performers can receive feedback, giving them achievable suggestions to either communicate their character more effectively or highlight a particular mood or location.
Cue check
The focus in the cue check is to go through the performance step by step, focusing only on cues and what happens on them.
Technical rehearsal
Technical rehearsals can take place over several sessions depending on the amount of equipment or technology involved in the production and its running time. They bring all of the design elements together to ensure that equipment is working and cued appropriately.
Dress rehearsal
The dress rehearsal is a full run-through of the performance without stopping, including all elements of the production. It should be an exact replica of the show as it would be on opening night, and will provide the most accurate running time of a production.
