Here's some tips to help your rehearsals go smoothly and get the most out of your cast and production.
- Know exactly how the drama is to run, particularly with physical positions and movements. This will mean so you can direct in a quick and assertive way rather than figuring things out while actors stand around - wasting time and their confidence in you leading to a great production will fall.
- If there's different acts where some people really don't need to be present, you can have a bit of a staggered call time for actors to come and rehearse.
- Send a quick reminder about the rehearsal on the day of it.
- If there's musicians involved, have actors and musicians do their first rehearsals separately so not to waste the other groups time. One may need more time to get things well enough to flow for a proper reversal together.
- Get the script to actors days beforehand so that are at least familiar with what's happening and can think about it before hand.
- For the first rehearsals in particular, reading from scripts in had is fine and even preferred to get the full flow of the drama - helping people feel how it's going to go, and help you spot any issues with the script.
- Be positive about the actors performance, praising the good parts and what you liked in what they did, and then offering direction.
- "good one, I love the hand Gestures, what ' you're doing is good. To make it even better make sure you're always facing the audience"
- Keep watch over how it looks from the audience angle. Watch out for backs to the audience
- Keep and ear out for actors speaking too fast and get them to speak slower, like an old person, because the older people int eh audience have trouble with understanding fast talking
- If working with children, make sure you have other adults present in the rehearsing space and you are not alone with the children.
- If the actual stage is busy with other rehearsals, like a worship music team, do most of your rehearsal not on stage but in another space so you don't hold up anyone by being on stage so long, or you don't interrupt others very long. Organize at least one quick run though on the actual space to test movements and space and make the performance more familiar and at home.
- Bring scripts for everyone and yourself
- Pray before you start that God will be present and help guide the drama to be what he needs it to be.
- Pray at the end of the rehearsal, that God will use your drama and help the actors to perform well enough to connect particularly to those who who are not connected to God very well.
- Advise them on what to wear at the performance. (give considerable warning if it's elaborate and you can't provide it.)
- Try on costumes to make sure they fit. Have some safety pins handy.
- Figure out microphone logistics, especially if you don't have many to work with
- Practice holding microphones while acting if you're not using headsets/lapel mics. actions are limiting when one hand is required to be stationary.
- Test your video or sound files that they run and the volume is correct.