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The town has been very generous with us so we have an old school cafetorium to store our set pieces and to build the sets. We typically build and paint the set over 5-8 Saturdays. Usually a couple evenings get added toward the end.
We "hire" a tech director that is responsible for everything technical. This person gets $500 for the bigger shows, and $0 for everything else. There is a heavy dependence on slave labor in the form of actors to do the build and paint, but the majority of the work falls on the shoulders of the tech director.
We load the show into the venue on the Saturday before opening. Lighting, sound and sets all go in at roughly the same time. Sound finishes first followed by the set, and the lighting folks stay later so they can have the room to themselves. Sometimes the director will try to shove a rehearsal into Saturday night. Sunday we try to Finnish the lighting/set and do a cue to cue rehearsal and/or a run through. It isn't often that both rehearsals actually happen.
It is a middle school and the music department thinks that the auditorium is the "band room". We have to take down all of the chairs and music stands every school night and put it all back at the end of the rehearsal. All of the set pieces hve to fit into the wings every night, so that as to be considered in the design.
Monday through Wednesday, and sometimes Thursday, we have rehearsals that get closer to a full dress rehearsals as the week progresses. Usually there are still props and costumes being made in the hallway, and finish work on the set being done on the set whereever we can find room.
We usually do 4 shows. Most often over 2 weekends, but sometimes all in the same weekend.
Set budgets run from $300-$1200 for materials and rentals depending on the complexity of the show. The venue cost around $4000. The rehearsal hall is another $1500. Overall expense can be as high as $30,000 for a big musical.
Does that help at all?
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David M
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