Every theatre show is a different beast. There are many variables, from the material itself to the creative input of the artists involved to the vision of the director. It follows, then, that no two rehearsal processes are the same.
There are, however, some common features of rehearsal that many productions will follow. If you’re at the start of your acting career, it is useful to know about them – even if you’re hoping to land jobs with a more experimental process.
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Essentially, rehearsals bring a cast, creative team, and crew together to develop a show that is then performed to an audience.
For many, says director and actor James Barnes, rehearsal may simply be described as “where we block and organise what we’re actually going to show to the audience when we get into the theatre.” Beneath that, though, “it’s about working out what [the play] is saying to us.… It’s the opportunity for the cast and creatives to work out what’s actually going on. It’s working out what story they’re telling and also what their individual connections [to the material] and inspirations are.”
Read through
Often called a table read, this usually happens on the first day. It’s when the actors and the creative team read through a script together.
Dress rehearsal
A full run-through of the show in costume, this gives the actors, director, and crew a final opportunity to fine-tune the performance and ensure that everything runs as expected.
Tech rehearsal
This gives members of the technical team, such as the lighting and sound designer, the opportunity to rehearse all the technical features of the show with the actors on stage.
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Rehearsal periods can last varying lengths of time, depending on the budget and length or complexity of the show.
“Rehearsals will last anywhere between two and five weeks,” director Will Jackson says. “Five weeks is the dream for a two-act show; three weeks for a one-hour show.”
Some shows may take a more flexible approach, however, particularly if the rehearsal process is being juggled along with other responsibilities. For example, with the one-woman show Jackson is currently directing, Georgina Thomas’ Hysterical Soprano, they have been working “on and off for about four months.” Jackson says it’s “really useful for a solo show, as it gives [the performer] time to go away and do rewrites after each time we spend a couple of days getting something up on its feet.”
Jackson “[loves] to tailor the rehearsal process” to reflect the intricacies of an individual production, but, for “bigger beasts” such as musicals and opera, he says it’s more important to follow established timelines that “work for a reason.”
1. Pre-rehearsal preparation
For the director, preparation can include script analysis, figuring out their interpretation of the play, and liaising with the other creatives to make sure there is a unified vision.
Barnes says his preparation is about finding his “concept” for the play, which includes everything from where you want to set it to what themes you hope to explore through its lens.
For actors, pre-rehearsal preparation includes getting familiar with the play, learning your lines, and exploring your character.
2. First day in the room
This is different for every show, but it’s all about the cast and crew meeting each other for the first time. Often, it involves a table read.
On the first day, Jackson likes to spend the morning getting the actors to do something movement-based, such as choreography (for a musical) or games. “Actors will naturally be quite nervous, so it’s good to get them into their bodies,” he says.
That will be followed by a read-through, and then presentations from the costume and set designers.
3. Exploration of the material
Rehearsal is all about exploring the text and the characters and their relationships. With introductions and icebreakers out of the way, this is when you start digging deeper into the material.
4. Blocking
Blocking describes the “the placement and movement of actors, and the choreography of physical action.” Some directors will be more prescriptive about it and dedicate a portion of the rehearsal period to it, whereas others prefer for the actors to make those discoveries for themselves.
5. Running the show
Hopefully you’ll have time to start running through the show from start to finish. That enables the cast to become confident and sink deeper into their performances. It varies from production to production, but actors are usually expected to be off book by this stage.
6. Tech rehearsal
It’s important to respect that the tech rehearsal is for the benefit of the tech team, and to stay focused. The director may ask you to go from cue to cue, which means you jump to the line or part of a scene just before a lighting change or sound effect.
7. Dress rehearsal
This is your last chance to rehearse the show before you perform it in front of an audience, so you should imagine a full house in the stalls and give it your all.
These are some of the common features of rehearsal, but every director has their own preferred way to run the room. Barnes, for example, says he is “not a fan of table reads” and prefers to get the show “up on its feet as soon as possible, and then come back to the table if needed.” Here are some rehearsal methods to know.
Movement work
Many directors, including Barnes, begin their process with physical work. “Even if it’s not a movement production per se, I tend to experience a lot of things through movement,” he says. “We operate that way for a week, two weeks, and when we get to the third week, we start to connect certain moments to how they may be in the theatre.”
It’s worth noting that there are many movement techniques that directors may bring into the rehearsal room.
Soap opera run
Also known as a speed run, or sometimes an Italian run, this is where the actors run the play as fast as possible without stopping, even if something goes wrong. This helps to cement everything so it becomes second nature.
Improvisation
Even for a scripted show, directors may ask actors to use improvisation to develop the relationships between characters and backstories or solidify important moments that don’t appear in the script.
It’s a lot to take in, so if you’re short of time, Barnes and Jackson offer their top tip for actors about to start the rehearsal process.
“It sounds obvious, but know your lines and know your character backwards,” Barnes says. “It’s as simple as that.” He argues that these are the things actors can take control of, enabling them to more fully enjoy the rest of the process and learn from the other actors, rather than being “anxious for the wrong reasons” – i.e., feeling underprepared.
Jackson’s final pearl of wisdom is to “do your own prep, but be open-minded to try loads of different things once you’re in the room.”