Week 5: Rehearsal Procedures

I can't believe we're already on week five! This week, rehearsals for A Man for All Seasons have continued apace, as has technical work. I also read the chapter in my text on Rehearsal Procedures.

My reading went into a lot of detail about the conduct expected of stage managers during the rehearsal process. Since I have already been in rehearsals for two weeks, it was interesting to compare what I have been doing with the procedures Stern and O'Grady seem to expect. Some things the text recommended I knew would be received unfavorably in our rehearsals, or were already being done by another person. I found several of the book's suggestions on blocking note-taking very helpful, such as drawing diagrams of where all characters are according to "french scenes" (which begin and end with character entrances and exits). It was also interesting to note the different methods of prompting lines, as I will begin doing so at tomorrow's rehearsal.

In rehearsals, we are almost done blocking the show, with the exception of one or two large and complex scenes, which we will be tackling tomorrow night. On the technical front, we have had many costume fittings this past week, with many of the costumes fitting just perfectly! The set is also making great progress; I believe most, if not all, of the pieces for the Tudor arches have been cut and are ready to be assembled. I am also very excited about what is going on in publicity, as the student worker in charge of that area has been developing a marketing plan for the play and has several great poster ideas.

I can't wait to see what we accomplish this week!