Another Week In Tech

Ladies and gentlemen we are finally coming up on our tech week for our show, Machinal, and like always, it will be a tough one. For those of you who don't know, tech week in theatre is the MOST stressful week of a rehearsal process. It's when the acting combines with the technical side of theatre such as: lighting, sound, set design, costumes, etc. When all of these elements come together, we have a performance. This is our final week of rehearsal before we are catapulted into the chaos and will be taking the stage on Thursday, February 20th. The schedules for tech weeks usually look the same for most shows, following a format of long hours spent doing spacing rehearsals, cue to cues, and dress rehearsals. Our schedule looks no different. 

Spacing rehearsals are pretty straight-forward. This is when the cast rehearses on the stage they'll be performing on. It's especially important for the actors because they need to be able to translate everything they've built upon in the earlier rehearsals onto a completely different space. We are doing our play in Biggs Theatre, which is the largest theatre on campus. Going from a small room to a big stage is a major change and one that requires time in that space in order for us, the actors, to fill it with our voices. We also need to be able to fill the stage with our bodies and get used to maneuvering props and scenery in a much larger area than we had previously been working with.

Cue to cues rehearsals are when the lighting and sound teams run through all of the cues they've made and line them up with the actors' performance. Cues need to happen at very specific times to elevate the story we are portraying and if they don't, it can take an audience member out of the experience and makes it harder for us to be authentic. This rehearsal is usually the longest because it requires a lot of stopping and going in order to make sure the cues are in the exact right spots. It is also, arguably, the most important rehearsal because of how specific everything needs to be.

Lastly, we have dress rehearsals which is where the cast is in full costume and makeup and runs the whole show with light, sound, and transitions. The goal of these rehearsals is to run the show as many times as it takes to get it perfect for opening night. We typically have invited dress rehearsals the night before we open for invited students and faculty to come to. This is still considered a rehearsal even though we are performing for an audience, so if the show needs to stop in order for us to fix something and run it again, then that's what we will do. The best part is, it's free! However, I do strongly encourage you to still buy a ticket to come see the show because, again, invited dress is invite only and there is no guarantee you will get one.

While tech week is an incredibly stressful time for both cast and crew, all of it is worth it once we get up on that stage and get to see it all come together. I love to perform and I am super excited for everyone to see the work we've done on this amazing play. The show runs from February 20th to the 23rd, so if you are able to, please please please buy a ticket on the Freed Center website and come see us! I can't wait to see you all there!