Thinking about Time
Everyone says that they don't have enough time. That they wish they had a few more days before opening. That if they only had another week... well, it's sort of a joke how much we all wish that. We also all have subscribed to an art form with a definite dead line: opening. The day the critics come and the show is immortalized in print. The day that the director puts down her pen and stops giving notes, making changes. On a new play, the day no more script changes will be made. There are rules about these things.
But time is the essence. And this is particularly true in Chicago if you're ever comparing an equity show to a non-equity show.
I've been lucky enough to direct a lot of equity theater in the past year. Most of it in small equity situations, or big houses in which I'm directing the small project. And then I've gone back to do some non-equity theater. My first show after a year and a half of equity was small, it was The Receptionist at Steep Theatre. A play with four people, 70 minutes, and so little tech that we finished teching through it in 3 hours. I was very happy with it. The show I opened last week, Neighborhood 3 at Strawdog Theater, has four people, is 70 minutes, but has so much tech in it and we had such an atmosphere of experimentation about the style, that I really needed more time with the tech tools, and way more previews with rehearsal. After my two previews I had a rehearsal that was so needed and revelatory, I could have used at least two more like it. After two previews when I could finally see the elements coming together I knew I needed another week to perfect the style with underscoring, video, and everything. Not that I'm unhappy with the work that's being done on the Strawdog stage right now. I'm really proud of it. But I know it could be better. Which is my least-favorite feeling, to be honest.
So here it is: I break it down to you like this:
I counted, we had about 70 rehearsal hours pre-tech. This took us five weeks.
We had about 27 hours of tech and tech runs.
An equity theater usually has about 3-4 weeks of rehearsal, 7 hours a day, 6 days a week. That's a minimum of 126 hours, probably more like 168.
And twice as much tech. And usually, in my experience, a full weekend of previews, some rehearsals and previews the next week, and then opening.
So really, how is non-equity theater supposed to have enough time on this schedule to compete with equity theater? How are we supposed to experiment, without more previews and rehearsals after previews? Why are we rushing to opening, only for the papers to question the work and for these shows to become wonderful the second or third week of the run? Can we invite press back? I suppose, but would they come?
I guess I just wonder if it's effective at the smaller theaters to open so quickly.
And I also just want to say, that those who do good non-equity work are heroes for getting it done so quickly.
But time is the essence. And this is particularly true in Chicago if you're ever comparing an equity show to a non-equity show.
I've been lucky enough to direct a lot of equity theater in the past year. Most of it in small equity situations, or big houses in which I'm directing the small project. And then I've gone back to do some non-equity theater. My first show after a year and a half of equity was small, it was The Receptionist at Steep Theatre. A play with four people, 70 minutes, and so little tech that we finished teching through it in 3 hours. I was very happy with it. The show I opened last week, Neighborhood 3 at Strawdog Theater, has four people, is 70 minutes, but has so much tech in it and we had such an atmosphere of experimentation about the style, that I really needed more time with the tech tools, and way more previews with rehearsal. After my two previews I had a rehearsal that was so needed and revelatory, I could have used at least two more like it. After two previews when I could finally see the elements coming together I knew I needed another week to perfect the style with underscoring, video, and everything. Not that I'm unhappy with the work that's being done on the Strawdog stage right now. I'm really proud of it. But I know it could be better. Which is my least-favorite feeling, to be honest.
So here it is: I break it down to you like this:
I counted, we had about 70 rehearsal hours pre-tech. This took us five weeks.
We had about 27 hours of tech and tech runs.
An equity theater usually has about 3-4 weeks of rehearsal, 7 hours a day, 6 days a week. That's a minimum of 126 hours, probably more like 168.
And twice as much tech. And usually, in my experience, a full weekend of previews, some rehearsals and previews the next week, and then opening.
So really, how is non-equity theater supposed to have enough time on this schedule to compete with equity theater? How are we supposed to experiment, without more previews and rehearsals after previews? Why are we rushing to opening, only for the papers to question the work and for these shows to become wonderful the second or third week of the run? Can we invite press back? I suppose, but would they come?
I guess I just wonder if it's effective at the smaller theaters to open so quickly.
And I also just want to say, that those who do good non-equity work are heroes for getting it done so quickly.
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