Page History

...

• Scheduling rehearsals. This includes when rehearsals will be, and what will happen during each individual rehearsal.
• Take notes of what goes on during rehearsals (blocking, costume, prop, sound notes, etc.). See Callboard.
• Maintain rehearsal props/costumes (i.e., bringing them to rehearsal, keeping them safe, letting props know if they run out, etc).
• If actors are missing from a rehearsal, it is your job to hunt them down like dogs (ie call/text them to see where they are)
• You need not be at every rehearsal, but it is your responsibility to make sure that an ASM is at a rehearsal if you're not.
  • Recommendation: if you are also the Production SM (you probably are), be at big rehearsals like Read Through, Designer Run, and as many Full Runs as possible to get a good sense of the show, blocking, etc.
  • Make sure that your ASMs know what they're doing. Have them shadow you (or an experienced ASM) at one rehearsal before they run a rehearsal on their own.

Overall, you act mostly as a liaison between the director/designers/producer(s) and the actors. It's your job to help provide communication between the actors and everyone else to ensure that everything will be ready for prod week.

...

        Check SM kit (see child page)

        Meet Be in contact with producer - go over checklist & calendar.the producer about the overall calendar and logistics (especially important for auditions)

        Meet with director - discuss scheduling preferences and rehearsal preferences. These may include:            

• • When will rehearsals be, and how long will they be?
    • Typical Fall Rehearsals: Sunday 1-5, Monday-Thursday 7-10
    • Typical Spring Rehearsals: Sunday 1-5, Monday-Thursday 6-10
  • How many breaks in a rehearsal, for how long?
  • How would the director like to be reminded of time constraints?
  • How should actors be corrected (lines, blocking) if they mess up?
  • How should warm-ups be done? By director (or actor) at beginning of rehearsal? By each actor individually before rehearsal?
    • Warm-ups as a group may or may not happen, figure out how to balance how the director wants to do this with the fact that actors will mostly likely be popping in and our during the overall rehearsal time.
  • Work with the Director to create a rehearsal etiquette policy to be handed out to Work with the Director to create a rehearsal etiquette policy to be handed out to all actors at the first rehearsal.
    • We already have this (attached 9 Ways to be a Better Actor), check if the director wants to add anything.
  • Longer or more complicated scenes need more time. Ask about length/complexity of the scenes.

        Meet with Assistant SMs (ASMs) to discuss their roles and duties. Make sure you get their phone numbers and email address(es) at this time. 
        Create SM copy of script. A few example pages are included.

If someone else is needed at rehearsal, like a fight choreographer, please contact them wayyyyy in advance. Fight choreographers need to be there to rehearse every fight, and they come back once more during tech week to oversee a fight call. For more on fight choreographers, see this document.

    Auditions:

Assist director with running auditions. (the producer will also help with this)director with running auditions (the producer will also help with this). Tips are written assuming the producer is in the audition room and you are in the waiting room. If the producer is unavailable or auditioning themselves, you should be in the audition room and someone else (an ASM, a non-auditioning officer, etc.) should be in the waiting room.

        Useful tips:

• • Take pictures of auditioners; it's easier for the director to remember faces
    • Write the person's name on a chalkboard, and take their picture with their name visible.
  • Have people (ASMs, etc.) inside and outside the audition room communicating about which a method to communicate with the producer about when auditioners have arrived and whether they are ready to audition (this can be as simple as both of you having messenger open).
  • Make sure the director and whoever is in the audition room (either the producer or yourself) are introducing themselves and making the audition room a welcoming space. You should do the same in the waiting room.
  • Get the casting done as quickly as possible. If possible, schedule the last day of auditions to end early to give you time to call people. (this should be the last day before callbacks and the day of callbacks if possible)
  • If possible, make a characters list before-hand and have an idea of how large each part is (search the play name on wolfram alpha- it's super useful!) and which parts can be combined if needed. List which characters are in which scenes. This is also a good time to decide which characters are important for the rehearsals of each scene, which will help with scheduling.
    • Note: the director will often do this, because they know the show better than you. Check with them.
  • Encourage the director to take scheduling into account during auditions. Try to prevent giving main roles to people who don't have the time for them.
  • Make sure to print extra audition contracts, for walk-ins and people who forget theirs. An example audition contract for a spring/touring show (in LaTeX) is here, fall/non-touring show here.
  • Try to get some monologues from the director prior to auditions. If they the director doesn't have any, there are monologue lists from other productions that the officers can pass on to you.

...