How do you calculate how much rehearsal time you will need for a play?

Question

I've heard that one hour of rehearsal time per minute of stage-time is a good rule of thumb, but how accurate is this? Is there a formula that ties it to number of pages in the script?

Does anyone know a formula for calculating how much time I, as a director, should schedule for group rehearsals based on the number of pages in a script? Let's assume that each actor is doing a reasonable amount of work on their own (learning lines, researching their roles, etc.). Let's also assume that the play is not a musical, or one with complex movement schemes or special effects. Just your basic "straight" play.

Answer 1

I don't know if there is one right way to break it down. You have to figure out what works for you. When I am directing, I like to have at least five weeks rehearsal. Within that schedule, I estimate how many pages I can block and rehearse each night, so there is a specific plan.(This plan can be a bit flexible, but is a good guideline for everyone). My preference is to rehearse at least 3 days per week, with an option for a few "marathon" Saturday sessions if needed. Again, this is what works for me.

Answer 2

I think it's more a function of what YOU have available to you. Even the most complex plays/musicals CAN, if necessary, be mounted in a couple of weeks.

I think that a "standard" comfortable rehearsal period is 4-5 weeks. However, if you have more available, there are ALWAYS things that a resourceful director can do to deepen the cast's experience of the text. If you have less time than that (assuming 4-5 rehearsals per week), then it will certainly be incumbent on the actors to come to work PREPARED (i.e., lines learned), and also prepared to show you some things that they have worked on outside of the rehearsal room.

Answer 3

It's not easy Bert. Some people might actually need more rehearsal time than, predicted. But a big factor is, how many days until the play is to be performed. When I performed in a Christmas play, once, I rehearsed with the rest of the cast, at least once a week,and at home with my parents, every night. I learned my lines, very quickly.

Answer 4

It really depends on the length and complexity of the show, the size of the cast, and the amount of time it'll take the technical crew to get light and sound cues set and perfected. The typical show rehearsal time (for a straight play) is an hour or two a day, five days a week, for two months. For a musical, it can be anywhere from one to three hours a day, five days a week, for two or three months. Good luck!

Answer 5

I've been in many shows. Sometimes I've had 100 lines sometimes I've had 20. Really the only way to figure out how much rehearsal time you personally need depends on how hard it is for you to learn your lines.

Answer 6

it depends on how many times the cast gets together as a group. if you see eachother twice a week, then it is a good idea to go over your lines everyday for atleast 1 to 2 hours. if you meet everyday, then an hour is good. hope this helps. good luck

Answer 7

Typically, in an educational or community theatre, I schedule rehearsals for 6 weeks for a straight show and 8 weeks for a musical. For a straight show, rehearsals are 3 times per week @ about 3 hours per rehearsal, although tech week rehearsals are usually 4 times that week and with notes, each rehearsal may last longer than 3 hours. A musical is a whole different story. I usually give the first two weeks over to my music director and choreographer. I start blocking leads in week three and the chorus will come in with me in week five. There are still choreography and music rehearsals aside from my rehearsals and so it s usually five times a week for many of the actors. When you break up rehearsals for a straight show, I ll usually rehearse it in Acts and then Full Show toward the end. A musical is more complicated, depending on page # s of scenes and which actors are common in which scenes. Then it moves from "parts" or "sections" to Acts and then finally to Full Show.