Rule of thumb for just about any script is two minutes per page. So if the script has 60 pages, it's going to run two hours. -- If you're going to work on a 3-page scene, it'll take 6 minutes to get through it; so if you want to run through it four times in one evening, then allot 24 minutes - and you may as well just say half an hour because there'll be notes, etc. to get through as well. -- Granted, a "first" read-thru will probably take two times longer (four minutes per page) because of the complexity of the language; but after a while your cast should hit the two-minute page level with little difficulty.

"Dream" is a relatively easy show to direct because you can conduct rehearsals in French scenes (in other words, break it up into sections according to character grouping, and not just chronological order front to back) so you can spend a whole evening at a time on the lovers, another evening on the rustics (Bottom and friends) and another evening on the fairies with the miscellaneous Egeus, Theseus and Hippolyta scenes thrown in wherever they work best for you.

Word to the wise with Shakespeare:

(1) Don't be afraid to edit extraneous lines; the Elizabethans were more appreciative of richly textured language than their 21st century counterparts.

(2) Make sure your actors "know" what they're saying; that is, the "meaning" of each word. Many directors think that all you need to do is say the lines quickly and the "general idea" will come across. They're kidding themselves, and cheating the actors and audiences in the bargain.

Edited by edh915 - 9/01/12 at 2:20am

Thank you both SO much. That advice has really helped me and I was able to make up a schedule that I think will work really well. I'm eternally indebted to you both.

Break a leg!