All main stage productions at Ithaca College have a standardized technical rehearsal schedule. This process generally takes eight days. This schedule will vary based upon the show and where it falls in the calendar. Please see the production calendar for exact dates.

Each rehearsal has a specific “GO” time, which is meant to be the time the rehearsal starts. Every crew and area must move their call times accordingly to be ready to go at the time specified.

After each technical rehearsal and preview, there will be a production meeting at the tech table. All crew heads, designers, and directing staff are expected to attend. At this meeting the director will generally share their notes and questions for the entire group will be entertained.

After this meeting, the directing staff generally leaves to give notes to the actors. The different department staff will then have individual meetings to go over their notes for the next day. Once this has been accomplished, there will be a brief meeting between scenery, lighting, and sound to determine the exact schedule for the next day’s work notes.

Please remember: The use of personal computers, PDAs and cell phones in the theatre, backstage and in the dressing rooms is allowed but the external volume must be turned off and headsets are not permitted. At the discretion of management, faculty, and crew chiefs, technology may be banned in certain areas.

A typical tech schedule might be as follows:

DAY ONE (Wednesday)
It is at this rehearsal that we begin to put all of the pieces together for the show. Typically, we start at the beginning of the piece and work our way through until the end. Standard “GO” time is 7:00 p.m. with an 11:00 p.m. end of rehearsal. There will be an immediate production meeting at the tech table where the director can go over notes and general questions can be asked that affect the entire group. After this meeting (typically 30 min.) the director will give the actors notes in the lobby. Technical departments will meet individually to go over specific notes. After the departmental meetings take place there will be a short gathering to determine the space needs for the following day.

DAY TWO (Thursday)
Continue working through the show with the same schedule of Day One.

DAY THREE (Friday)
Continue working through the show with the same schedule of Day One.

DAY FOUR (Saturday)
This is typically a day off for the actors and a workday for designers and technicians.

DAY FIVE (Sunday)
Typically, this day is a 10 out of 12. We begin rehearsal at 12:00 noon and work until 5:00 p.m. The cast and crew come back at 7:00 p.m. for a 8:00 p.m. “GO” for the first dress rehearsal. Some crews may work in the morning from 9:00-12:00 and during the dinner break 5:00-7:00.

DAY SIX (Monday)
This rehearsal is the second dress rehearsal for the production. An 8:00 p.m. “GO” is typical. There might be small “fix-it” sessions scheduled to address any concerns that arise.

DAY SEVEN (Tuesday)
This is the first preview. It is usually an 8:00 p.m. “GO.”

DAY EIGHT (Wednesday)
This rehearsal is generally a four hour rehearsal. This rehearsal is to work out any problems that were discovered in the preview. The exact schedule for this evening will be determined at the production meeting after Day Seven.

DAY NINE (Thursday)
Opening Night.