Falling into the Pit

Dress and Tech Pitfalls

by Staff Writers    Posted 05/23/2008

Your show is opening in 2 weeks. You are about to have tech and dress rehearsals and the accompanying panic attack when one of the 50 things that still needs to happen before opening night goes wrong. Needless to say, tech and dress are stressful and difficult to coordinate in any situation. However, with time and practice, managing this stressful period becomes much simpler. While most of this management falls on the shoulders of the Stage Manager and the Director, here are 10 common pitfalls of tech and dress to avoid, no matter who you are:

1. Always paper tech

The minute that load-in starts, the show becomes a form of controlled chaos until right before opening night. The more you have organized in advance, the less out-of-control tech and dress will be. Have all designers, the director, the stage manager who calls the cues, and any other pertinent crew meet and run a paper tech before the first day of load-in. This way, everyone knows what the cues are and when they happen. Where things get complicated with multiple cues, concerns about coordination can be addressed and arguments about what cues should go in which order can be settled, at least initially. This will let the actual process of tech run much faster, as everyone will be on the same page from the first cue.

2. Talk less, write more

Don't discuss, stop, pause, fix, and argue over everything that is not perfect the first time through. It is usually much more efficient to take notes and only discuss at that moment something that impacts the rest of the show, not just the next 30 seconds. Discuss everything you have notes on later and make sure to schedule in time to argue and finesse. It is better to breeze by something and shelf it for later than to never finish an entire scene.

3. Actors everywhere and nowhere

Actors can be valuable in focusing lights, delivering lines for cues, and making sure the costumes don't burst during stage combat. It is usually a good idea during paper tech to figure out specific tasks that will require an actor and then schedule a time slot to deal with it. But remember, tech and dress are controlled chaos; the more people, the more chaos to control. When you do call actors, call enough, but be sure that you utilize them all. If you don't need an actor, send him or her home or don't call the actor in the first place. Having excess actors around during tech will inevitably create distractions, fights for use of the space, and thumb twiddling.

4. Avoiding the big smear

Dress rehearse the dress rehearsal. Schedule a tech time with costumes and makeup before the actual dress rehearsal. Make sure costumes fit and actors can move around the set easily. Additionally, make sure stage combat and choreography can be performed in full costume. Test whether makeup smears or sweats off under the lights and doesn't jump ship when in close contact with other actors. Check that prop blood and other substances can be appropriately laundered and do not interfere with other costumes. Make sure that a white dress, handkerchief, or other light-colored materials are intended to glow under black lights. Costumes and makeup, plus actors, plus the environment can equal unforeseen problems. Find these problems and solve them before you are supposed to be running a nonstop dress rehearsal.

5. Practice, Practice, Crash

Practice stage combat, dance, or other forms of heavy choreography or movement in the space. Hopefully, the sets and costumes have been constructed to accommodate for the action of the play. If something was built incorrectly, it is better to crash through it or break it during practice than during a performance or final dress. Set a time for the actors to work on the actual set to make sure everything is safe in the real space on stage, not the rehearsal studio. Always make sure the set is built to standards beyond the expected wear and tear it will receive. It is easy to get excited during fight choreography when an audience is watching and throw yourself onto a chair or table a bit harder than is necessary. Make sure the chair or table can handle it.

6. Stay on schedule

Please, create a schedule and push as hard as possible to stay on time. That means scheduling accurate amounts of time to do things. Don't say to someone, "Well you only get 20 minutes, so make it work." That may work out fine, until two weeks later, when a light falls on someone and an ambulance joins your cast. Be realistic with time and overestimate. Trust me, the extra time at the end of the day will never go to waste. But most importantly, get things done on schedule as often as possible. The more people feel rushed and the more tasks run into each other, the more the chaos gets out of control.

7. Assume the worst

Assume nothing, except that nothing will work. Don't ever get caught in an assumption when dealing with tech rehearsals. Nothing is supposed to work. Yes, when you plug a light into a dimmer slot it should turn on. The CD should not skip; you did check it at home. The platform should be wide enough; the measurements on the plan were. Inevitably, things will go wrong. Expect it and plan on spending time and resources for it. That way, when something does go wrong, you can just go on and fix it because you assumed the worst.

8. Tech, NOT Rehearsal

There will be a dress rehearsal. And the show will be noticeably full of mistakes. But, do not ever stop a tech rehearsal to give line notes. The actors and the show have been rehearsed. Tech rehearsal is the time for the other elements of the show to get on board and to make sure they help the story move forward. If you see problems with the actors during tech or early dress rehearsals, don't stop. Take notes now, but give notes later.

9. Managing Chaos

Running tech and dress is a nightmarish sort of marathon. I guarantee that you can put many highly qualified people into the position of managing tech rehearsals and they will cry and leave by the end of day two. It takes a special type of person to handle the chaos while staying in control. So, let's take a moment and thank those special people who are stage managers, production managers, and crew supervisors, who make tech and dress happen without terrible, terrible, terrible things occurring. Now that we have thanked them, let's remember something else. Managing the chaos requires balance; you cannot be too loose and asleep at the wheel. And you can't be too controlling or overzealous. Avoid being either of those. Balance your personality with everyone else's and find ways to motivate people without giving up and without screaming in someone's ear. Remember, those in charge must first lead by example before they can lead at all. Stay cool, calm, and in control. Don't Panic.

10. Check It Off

Tech rehearsals often create a byproduct which can be pages long. It is called a checklist, a fantastically long, yet simple way of knowing everything that must be completed. Write down everything that needs to happen in one central location. Make sure the tasks are fluidly assigned; in other words, no thumb twiddling. And finally, start checking things off the list. I won't go into the embarrassing, horrific, traumatizing opening night events of shows where something has never made its way onto the checklist. When you check it off, you can feel reassured in knowing that it is complete for opening night.

In short, control the chaos and work as an organized team. Plan for as many things as you can and plan adequate time. Remember to enjoy tech and dress and be excited. This is the time when all the hard work comes together and you can see everything you have worked for. Just be sure not to fall into the pit, literally and figuratively.

Staff Writers

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The staff writers of Theatre-Inc are comprised of former and current Theatre professionals who work with the company and write regularly as well as other professionals within the company with experience to lend to the Theatre World. Many of the staff writers have worked in multiple disciplines in theatre, ranging from directing, producing, design, acting, stage management and general management. These unique perspectives provide them with a depth of experience to address issues that often frustrate theatre professionals. But, sometimes we just like to share fun experiences and things that we ourselves find humorous, frustrating, or just outrageous.