Whole day off between final dress and opening night

[Beanmatt]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 11:37pm

I was reading a "how to put on a community theatre production" guide and in it the author suggests that everyone takes an entire day off between the final dress rehearsal and opening night. As in, final dress on Wednesday night and then you open on Friday night...just taking time off to rest inbetween.

I've never done this is any of the amateur productions I've been in, and have never heard of it being done either. Guess I sort of think it would break the momentum. What do you all think? Has anyone been a part of a production that employed this technique? Pros/cons?

Thanks for your input.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 11:42pm

I was just recently in a production where we did this. I had no problem with it. I thought it was a rather positive thing. It gave everyone enough time to relax and get some sleep and go over everything. Our opening night ran tremendously smoothly and all was well!

[ActingAndy]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 1:13am

I definately think it is good for the leads in the show... if you know they will use the day as a day of rest. Many times after Tech (Hell) Week the leads voices are almost shot, giving them a day helps tremendously. And if you get to the end of tech week and thing "Gee, we really are not ready, throw a rehearsal in the night beofre opening... just let the cast know in the beginning that there might be a rehearsal there. This has worked many times for my shows! Good luck with your shows!

[ActingAndy]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 1:13am

I definately think it is good for the leads in the show... if you know they will use the day as a day of rest. Many times after Tech (Hell) Week the leads voices are almost shot, giving them a day helps tremendously. And if you get to the end of tech week and thing "Gee, we really are not ready, throw a rehearsal in the night beofre opening... just let the cast know in the beginning that there might be a rehearsal there. This has worked many times for my shows! Good luck with your shows!

[ActingAndy]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 1:13am

I definately think it is good for the leads in the show... if you know they will use the day as a day of rest. Many times after Tech (Hell) Week the leads voices are almost shot, giving them a day helps tremendously. And if you get to the end of tech week and thing "Gee, we really are not ready, throw a rehearsal in the night beofre opening... just let the cast know in the beginning that there might be a rehearsal there. This has worked many times for my shows! Good luck with your shows!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 1:52am

After my third directing gig, my musical director took me aside and suggested that the next time I do a show I try the "day off before the show" concept to allow the vocalists to rest their voices and, interestingly enough, to give the brass players a break. I must admit I didn't - literally - take their lips into account when I made the orchestra play "The Carousel Waltz" three times in one day. Literally, as in the old joke "why do you give a producer no more than a three page outline to read?"

Because their lips get tired.

Any, you know, I tried it on my next show and I did see an improvement. There were no split notes on opening night and everone had fully rested voices (and the set and lighting and audio crews had a blessed three hours to touch up they never had before and they thanked me for it.)

[justagirl2]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:03am

Every theatre group I'm involved with does this...it's really helpful, often because the dress rehearsals go so late into the night. It's a great way to catch up on sleep and rest, and I'd probably go nuts without that free day.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:09am

As wonderful as it works with the "day off" in between dress and opening, this is the difference between professional theatre and the rest.

Sorry to be so harsh, but commercial productions are what keeps all theatre alive.

Professional musicians and actors are trained to work in those conditions. The rehearsal/creative process up until the opening are always insane. Once the run starts--the game is on!

I have never heard nor worked on a Broadway production that had a "day off" between final dress and opening.

I wish! It would be great...

But, remember, it's work, a job and a marathon (if you're lucky!)

Otherwise, enjoy the day off, and have a great opening!

[catstagestud]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 3:14am

I had never heard of this practice until when I went to college. The theatre is always dark the night before opening for us. We open on a Wednesday so our preview schedule is a little odd, we preview Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and have Tuesday dark. Openings seem to always run really well and it's nice to have a night off to kinda just work through some last minute things in your head and give your vocal chords a rest. I do understand that it is not common practice professionally so if I'm lucky enough to get work professionally I want to be ready for the situation where you go straight through, which in all honesty makes all the sense in the world.

Cheers,

Christopher

[Joshua488]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 4:11am

I hate dark nights.

They throw me off and I think they are an awful idea. I'm glad I don't have those often.

[wishinguweresomehow]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 5:17pm

it has many positive attributes, including giving all lead voices a day of rest. There is nothing worse than going into an opening night where the leads voices are shot because of tech week. It also allows the company as a whole to get some time to relax and not think about the show completely. And for those who say that they need the rehearsal the night before because the show is not ready...FYI if youre not ready to open 2 days before opening night, 1 day before opening isnt going to change anything either. Unless of course you have a genie and three wishes to burn up.

[DG]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 5:20pm

I wouldn't like the momentum interrupted.

[broadwaybound882]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 7:30pm

The concept is actually very nice. As performers, we work often into the next day (meaning midnight or later) during tech. The day off is used for us to rest ourselves and most importantly our voice so were 150% for opening night.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 7:34pm

I have been in alot of productions were the day before we open is strictly photo call.

[Beanmatt]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 10:30pm

Thank you all so much for your input/opinions/experiences. The group I'll be directing is at a high school. This will be the first theatrical production the school has done (I came here and there wasn't one so I threw a fit until they allowed me to do it :) ).

Sounds like most people see this as a positive technique that seems to benefit everyone from the cast and crew to the audience seeing fully rested performers give it their all. I wonder if since we're in a high school environment (and literally can't rehearse into the wee hours of the morning because the building closes) that will make a difference?

[allofmylife]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 11:50pm

Obviously, most productions on Broadway do not have a day off. Yes, that is the big leagues. And certainly on brand new shows that are being written up until the moment the curtain opens on opening night, I can understand this. But it does sometimes happen in professional theater elsewhere. I've domne it with equity companies (including the photocall day instead of a dress) but I suppose it will never happen on Broadway.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 3:58pm

I've NEVER had this before.

We've always done final dress, and then opening the following night, no matter how late we went.

[circusliz]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 4:05pm

Many of the shows I've done have had a 'light' rehearsal the day before the opening. We would just do a quick walk through of anything we had a lot of trouble with during the final dress, run the fight scenes (if there were any), spend a little extra time bonding as a cast.....that way the momentum isn't completely lost but voices, lips and fingers (the pianist and string players would complain too) got a rest.

[SarahBeth]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 4:09pm

There's an even distribution of shows that have done this and shows that have not for me. I think its a good idea to get rest but it couldn't hurt to rehearse a little more. There's pros and cons to both.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 4:33pm

wow. we've never done that in any of the shows i've done. totally destroys momentum

and i know that half the time, the thursday dress rehearsal is the first time we go through the show no stops hahaha

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 10:44pm

I personally prefer it. It gives you a bit of time to step back and re-examine your character and the show itself. With all that rehearsal the week before you can occassionally lose focus in all the technical aspects of the show.

[west end artist1]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 10:52pm

I agree with TomMonster i have never had a day off in between the 2 and ive been doing this for years.We are used to working to a fast pace and deadline where the rehearsal period is hectic.I wouldnt want it any other way,though i can see its benefits.

lol

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 11:16pm

Why do you always lol after everything? Do you just laugh a lot? Or find yourself funny? I bet you laugh at your own jokes.

"wow. we've never done that in any of the shows i've done. totally destroys momentum"

If you've never done it, how do you know it destroys momentum?

[west end artist1]

Posted: 7/14/06 at 11:38pm

Not Nice Updated On: 7/14/06 at 11:38 PM

[ashley0139]

Posted: 7/15/06 at 2:51pm

I'm with you, Fiction Writer. I hate lol's.

We've always done final dress, and then opening the following night, no matter how late we went.

This is the same for me. I have never even heard of this. But now I am thinking this could be a really good idea. I would love to suggest this in my next production and see if it works. I don't think one night off to rest should destroy momentum, if your dress rehearsals are going late into the night. In fact, it should give everyone more energy. I like the idea!