20 Hour Reading?

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 2/16/04 at 12:31am

I was just wondering if anyone here could explain to me more of what a 20 Hour Reading is. I understand it is when a director and others sit down and have people who they are interested in for certain parts read through the show to see if they are really who they want, but can anyone explain how it works. Is it always called a 20 hour reading? or can it be a different length. Or am I confusing it with something else that sounds similar. Any help you can give me would be most appreciated.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 2/16/04 at 5:15am

If we're talking about the same thing, I believe the 'twenty' figure you mention is the number of rehearsal hours allowed by Equity for a showcase reading. It's usually staged with the actors holding the scripts and its purpose is to give a rough idea of the play or musical in question, not the viability of the actors. There may be a Equity ruling that the actors who take part in the reading must have first refusal (or be bought out) in subsequent productions but I believe that applies more to elaborate developmental productions, such as workshops.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 2/16/04 at 5:19am

Thank you many times over MusicMan...