I have never heard of the hour per minute rule of thumb. I will have do the math and see how close I come. I agree with the three hour rehearsal, especially with community theater. Everyone including me has already worked an 8 hour day before rehearsal. I do think a director has to find their own rhythm and pace for rehearsing. After doing this for a really, really long time, I found I need 25 rehearsals including run thru's and tech's for a straight show. I need another 7-10 rehearsals for a musical. These are devoted entirely to music and/ or dance. I start 8 weeks out of a straight show and 10 weeks out for a musical. I always plan at least three full run throughs w/ tech before we open. And I always plan my rehearsal schedules backwards from opening night. It works for me.

L.

I know broadway does two hours per minute. I use an hour, but realistically it's prolly closer to 40 minutes of actual work. I also don't do musicals so I wasn't factoring that in.

I'd assume it's longer.

An hour per minute?

Never heard of that either - I use an hour per page for a typical play, 1 1/2 to 2 hrs per page for more complicated. If you actually USE the time for work and not messing around, I've found it works perfectly as a rule of thumb.

Never heard of the hour per minute but as I do noises off that is what it is breaking down to.  I really depends on the play.  for me a comedy takes longer than a drama, a musical longer than a comedy. Size of cast/staging can alter things a little too.

To add:

(as stated before) It's 1 minute per page -- so a 30 page play = 30 minutes.  That means 30 hours of rehearsal.

For a large musical it is 2 minutes per page -- then an hour per minute.

I always add more hours than that just in case - then you can cancel them later and give your actors a rest if they can spare it.

This is all very interesting. I wish our Director would read this message board. My 13-year old daughter was cast in the "Adult Chorus" because basically she's too tall or too young for some of the major roles. At any rate, this Director keeps them at rehearsals for 5 - 6 hours 3 and 4 days per week. For the past month, she has been getting out just after Midnight! And they start at 7 pm.  Sundays they rehearse from 5 pm until 11 or 11:30 pm.  This doesn't seem normal to me.  The kids in the Adult Chorus are 12 and 13 year olds who have school the next day.  He has taken all the fun of theatre away from my daughter who loves acting. I told her she could have quit a month ago, but she's a committed child and refused to quit no matter how exhausted and disgusted she is. What is everyone's opinion on these looooooong reheardal hours.

I've been involved with a few shows working such a schedule, mostly when I was younger... Had I known what I was getting into, I wouldn't have. In community theater, everyone has another job or has school, both of which are (if we're honest with ourselves) more important. I've also found that even theater must obey the law of diminishing returns. As a director, I run rehearsals from 7:30 until 10pm on weeknights. At 10pm, we quit... middle of a scene, middle of a line, doesn't matter. I want my people to come in fresh and enthusiastic every night. To do that, they have to have a good night's sleep. The same goes for me... I have a day job and to be effective in my job and as a  director, I need sleep as well.

Of course, once we get to the crunch time of Tech Week, the time limit has to come off, and we have to rehearse until we finish... but, if I've done my job right, that rarely goes past 10:30pm.

I have to say I admire your daughter's sense of committment and responsibility. I also hope she remembers this experience and asks about the length of rehearsals before being cast. I understand the desire to do a show can be very strong, but an actor isn't at their best if they're too tired to function. Tell her to nap when she can and to break a leg.

Thanks for the great information and advice, Mike.  Fortunately the rehearsals and show are now a thing of the past. The last performance was this past Sunday and I must say that the long rehearsals did pay off in the end. The show was a success. 
However, my daughter has vowed never to do that particular Community Theater again (they put on a show every year). 
I so agree with you - I simply felt that Rehearsals should not go that long. And after the last 2 rehearsals, myself and 3 other parents kept their kids home from school for 2 days. In the end, during the first 3 performances, my daughter had a bad cold and she still went on with the show. Like I said, a dedicated performer. 
Anyway - thanks again. From now on we'll be checking these message boards if we have any doubt.

~Ilona~

I direct at a school where we are unable to rehearse on Wednesdays and Sundays, and you can't get the kids to show up on a regular basis on Fridays and Saturdays.  To add to the fact, we are such a small school we have many of our excellent performers playing sports as well.  What's a director to do?

To deal with the scheduling issue:  I plan the rehearsal schedule to start during the last few weeks of basketball season (and grin and bear it when my athletes are gone for games) and throughout baseball/softball season (games are generally finished by 6:00 because it's getting dark).

I first divide my script into workable French scenes/songs (if it's a musical).  Next, I work backward from tech week.  I divide the remaining rehearsal periods into thirds.  The first third includes the 2 readthrough/concept meeting days plus all blocking rehearsals.  The next third of the rehearsal schedule consists of working rehearsals--actors must be off book by the first of these rehearsals for the scenes we are working each day.  The last third are runs of the acts, and then run throughs of the play, with a few faculty members called in to give feedback.  This last is really important, because by the last third of the rehearsal process, the actors have tuned out everyone involved with the production.  Even if the "guest director" says exactly what you've been saying for the last two weeks (i.e., open up, project, stop shuffling your feet, what's your motivation?), they actually pay attention.  I guess the cast finally realizes that what they thought you were nitpicking about is highly visible to the average audience member.  During the last week of the last third, I try to have the audio cues ready to be worked into rehearsals.  Plus, any set pieces that can be used in the rehearsal hall are brought in as they are ready.

Load-in and Tech Week (we rent a theatre for 1 day of Load-In and three days of Tech/Performances--quite a frustrating schedule):

Friday before Tech Week--one of our rare Friday rehearsals, costume parade and first dress.

Saturday and Sunday before Techk Week--no rehearsal--get some sleep.  Try to get ahead on school work.  Tech crew and sm's have paper tech with director.

Monday and Tuesday--dress rehearsals with sound.  SM off book--actors must improvise if they get stuck.

Wednesday--load in/Q-2-Q tech at the theatre.  Can't work past 5 p.m. because we have to be in church that night.

Thursday--tech/dress in a.m., tech/dress in afternoon (if necessary) or work specific problems in afternoon, Opening Night

Friday--tech/dress in a.m.; work problems or rest in afternoon; 2nd Night.

Saturday--arrive at theatre at 12:00 if a rehearsal is needed, or 3:00 if not.  Start prepping items for strike as needed while actors get ready.  Closing Night and Strike.

Our rehearsals during the last 2-3 weeks stretch from 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.  The administration understands out time constraints and requests teachers to be lenient with the students who are missing homework and tests, etc.  However, only the most diligent students don't experience a drop in their class grades.

Me--don't talk to me until the Starbucks is half empty.  And does anybody have any toothpicks to prop my eyelids open?

How many rehearsals do you need if you are doing an about 90 minute musical with almost all children? Does the rule still apply?

Wishbone

I assume you are talking about elementary-aged students.  This advice does not apply to most middle or high school kids.

You need more time--I would plan on 1 1/2 hours - 2 hours for every minute of script.  You will usually have to teach them how to follow directions and obey (do people even know that word anymore?)

You need to work on lines during rehearsals, and then stress they need to work on them outside of rehearsals.  Get the parents involved!  Many parents think being in theatre is a lot like playing soccer--you only practice when the coach schedules practice.

Schedule more rehearsals than you think you actually need.  Have definite, realistic goals set for each rehearsal.  If you aren't reaching those goals, get the parents in with the performers and talk about steps that need to be taken.  Do this before too much of your rehearsal time lapses!

If you have any say in the casting, try seeing how well they follow directions and obey in auditions.  If they can't do either, no matter how perfect you may think they are for the part dramatically, don't cast them.  If nothing else, they will be more stress than they are worth--but usually they act like spoiled brats and don't do the work necessary to bring out their potential.  If one sneaks by and gets casted anyway, stay in contact with the parents, letting them know about the behavior and how you will probably never cast the kid again if he doesn't learn how to behave appropriately.

Enough said--can you tell I just finished a production with a few not-so-perfect cast members?

Have a great show!

Rehearsal schedules can be a bear! Especially when you have to come up with them before auditions and before you get everyone's conflicts.  My personal rules of thumbs:

-80 hours of rehearsal minimum.  It's nice to plan 90 hours and then have some rehearsals to let them out early or give them a day off and let them know they are doing a good job.  If they aren't doing a good job, you can keep the rehearsals.

-10 run throughs before opening night (read through counts as one)

-Start blocking Act II first (as it never gets as much attention as Act I and is often harder, more detailed).

-One hour per minute?  Personally, I think this is over-rehearsing.  You don't want the actors dry like an overcooked souffle on opening night.  You'll know.  You've seen the cast that is "ready" for an audience a week before opening.

-I like to make my tech week Saturday through Wednesday and then give the actors Thursday night off.  Preview on Wednesday is nice and then they have a day to integrate what it is like having an audience with their show (especially with comedies).

-Always schedule at least two rehearsals to work on 5 minute sections. (ie: this entrance is never right, that piece of business needs polishing, this scene change needs to be quicker, that actress won't fit through that tiny window, etc.)  Basically rehearse everything to which you have said, "I'll get to that later."

-Get the actors props or rehearsal props right away - if it's a period piece, get them rehearsal costumes.  Learning how to walk in petticoats takes time and changes their character.

-And finally, for the love of god, let them go home if you don't need them.  Even if it looks like you won't be needing them, let them go.  This is like making a deposit into the bank account from which you will make plenty of withdrawals during tech week.

Hope this helps.  Happy theatre-ing.

B.

Originally posted by tristanrobin "80 hours of rehearsal minimum. It's nice to plan 90 hours" and "One hour per minute? Personally, I think this is over-rehearsing." LOL as most plays run around 90 minutes (+-), isn't an hour per minute just about what you suggest? LOL

Gee, just what I was thinking.

Hey, Tristan, long time no see!

Never heard of the hour per minute or the hour per page.   And  keeping people at rehearsals from 5 - 8 hours on a regular basis isn't worth it no matter what the result.  It's far too much to ask from peple that have full time jobs.

Look, I like to keep it simple as a director.  My work ethic is fairly blue collar.  8 weeks, factor in the conflicts, let 'em know when to be off book, remember your blocking and lines and don't bump into the furniture.   OK so I've over simplified my description of what I do but you get the idea.