Notes

As a director, I cannot stress enough to my students how frustrating it is to have to give the same note over and over during rehearsals. It feels like I’m not being listened to, and it wastes time. On top of that, I know how frustrating it is for my students to hear the same note over and over. To students, it can feel like they’re being nagged or picked on, and eventually they may just stop trying. How can you alleviate this problem? By teaching students how to make good rehearsal notes! It’s so satisfying to look over a script that’s been marked up, noted on, and well used. The script is an actor’s tool, after all, and tools are meant to be used. They’re not meant to stay pristine like the day they’re handed out. And it’s equally frustrating to not only find a script that’s been left behind after rehearsal, but one that looks like it’s barely been opened, let alone written on. Writing notes on a script not only helps to identify whose script it is (hot tip, students: write your name on the front of your script!), but also shows that the student is putting thought and effort into their onstage performance. There are lots of different ways for student actors to make rehearsal notes, and there’s no one right way.* But there is a wrong way — not taking notes at all. Any notes are better than no notes. Ultimately, the best notes are the ones that the student understands, that they will remember, and that they will apply to their performances. Here are our top seven note-taking tips to share with your student actors. There’s a printable version available below, so you can print out the tips and hand them out to your students at your next rehearsal. 1. Write out physical notes in your script. Always use a pencil — your director may ask you to change something later. Physically writing the notes out will help them stick in your brain — it’s all about muscle memory. If you type faster, you might try making notes on your phone or dictating notes into a voice recording app. However, be sure to go back and copy any digital notes into your script by hand. (Many directors don’t allow phones in rehearsal, so get into the habit of writing your rehearsal notes by hand.) 2. Don’t rely on your memory. Make notes the moment you receive them. If you try to remember them for later, you won’t. Yes, you do have to eventually memorize your lines and cues, but when you’re first hearing your notes and doing the initial work, make your life easier and write your notes down right away so you don’t forget them. 3. Be precise. Write notes where they happen in the script. For example, if you enter in the middle of someone’s line, make a mark (such as a circle or an arrow) at the exact moment during their line when you enter. 4. Write notes that make sense to you. You might choose to write out full, descriptive sentences, or use shorthand (for example, XDS for cross downstage). You might draw pictures or diagrams of where you need to move. You are the one who needs to understand and apply the notes, so try different approaches until you find a note-taking system that works for you. 5. When receiving line notes, circle or underline the words that you missed , so you can ensure your lines are word-perfect while you’re reviewing. You also might find it helpful to circle or underline a few key words in your scene partner’s cue lines to help jog your memory. 6. If you are performing in a musical, be sure to make notes about music and choreography , even if there are rehearsal recordings. Circle your harmony notes and write out or draw a basic outline of your moves, and note where in the script they occur. 7. During a post-run note session, listen to everyone’s notes, not just your own. You might find that you can apply certain notes others receive to your performance as well. Write down anything your director mentions multiple times — clearly, it’s something they think is important. Treat a note session like a free acting masterclass — the information is there, so use it! Again, the best notes are the ones that the student understands, that they will remember, and that they will apply to their performances. You may have to verbally remind students to take notes, provide pencils for them to write with, and give up a few precious minutes of rehearsal time for students to scribble down notes in their scripts. However, getting students into the habit of making rehearsal notes will only be a benefit — less stress, fewer frustrations, and more confident performances. * Remember that this is aimed at student actors — a stage manager (whether student or staff) must have extra-clear notes so that anyone could pick up their prompt binder and call the show from it. Check out our post How to Prepare a Stage Manager’s Prompt Book_ for more on that._ Additional Resources: • On Line Notes • Communicating Rehearsal Notes in Three Different Ways

After every run-through of a show, directors will have a notebook or word document packed to the brim with notes – praise, corrections, problems, solutions, changes and adjustments that need to be made. This way the next run-through can be even better. But your students aren’t psychic, so how will you communicate your notes to your students? Here are three methods of communication that you might already use, or that you could try out at your next rehearsal. 1. The Classic: Reading notes out loud right after a run-throughIt’s a classic for a reason: This is the most standard method of communicating notes. After a run-through, students return back to the stage and/or sit in the audience seats, while the director (and musical director and choreographer as appropriate) give notes verbally to the cast and crew. It’s beneficial because everyone is already there and the notes are fresh in the director’s mind. You are also still at the theatre and can do actual physical reviews and fixes right then and there, before everyone leaves. However, it’s not always the most useful method. Students are generally exhausted and/or super-hyper after a run-through, and their focus is not always the best. Students may be more focused on chatting with their friends (particularly after having to be quiet backstage for a long time) and doing their own analysis of what happened during the run-through. This may also just be something I personally need to take more ownership in, but I have found that when my casts are getting into run-throughs, they are less likely to take written notes. Giving notes out loud in a group setting can also lead to students asking questions or giving excuses as to why something happened, which makes the note session take even longer. Be sure to let students know that note-giving time is not discussion time, and any questions need to be addressed afterwards. 2. The Post-Run Rundown: Typing up notes and emailing/posting digitallyIn the post-run rundown, teachers/directors take the notes home, type them up in a list format, and either email them to the cast and crew or post them digitally for the cast and crew to see (such as on a private Facebook group, on Google classroom, or on other digital communication resource). The teacher may also elect to send some notes privately as appropriate. This is beneficial because it allows students to go home right after rehearsal and rest, and it gives them time to read and absorb the notes. They can think about them, practice at home, and then apply them at the next rehearsal. It also gives teachers/directors time to collect their thoughts and review their notes in a different setting than at the theatre (where emotions may still be running high). The most obvious challenge with digital communication is that the notes are easily ignored, missed, lost, or simply not read. If teachers/directors decide to employ this method, they will need to figure out a way to ensure students can prove they have actually received and read the notes. As well, depending on the rehearsal schedule, there may be a tight turnaround between typing up the notes and sending them to allow students time to actually read the notes. 3. The Checklist: Posting notes backstageThis is a method I have not used personally, but many of my colleagues have used it and found it to be effective. Similar to the post-run rundown method, students are dismissed after rehearsal and the teacher/director types up the notes from the run-through. However, the notes are formatted as a checklist, with a small space next to each note point for the applicable student to initial that they have received and understand the note. The note list is then printed and posted up in the backstage or rehearsal area, and students are responsible for consulting the list and ensuring that they have received their notes before the next rehearsal. This method is beneficial because it puts the onus on the student to get their notes. It reduces the stress on teachers/directors and it teaches the students responsibility. A student didn’t get their notes? That’s on them now. It’s also easy to track who read the notes and who didn’t, as students must initial to indicate that they got their notes. The downside to this method is that, again, it’s easy enough for students not to read the notes. It can also cause some stress in the backstage/rehearsal area if many students are trying to crowd around the note sheet. (It may be beneficial to print multiple copies of the note sheet and post them in various areas to avoid congestion.) It also doesn’t allow a lot of time for students to read and absorb their notes before the next rehearsal. Students might think they can simply read the notes once they arrive at rehearsal, which can waste group time. Teachers/directors may have to specify that students must come and read the notes on their own time before rehearsal.

“When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. ~ Mark Twain Line notes are like reminders to floss your teeth – nobody likes hearing them but they keep your mouth clean. ~ Craig “I’m no Mark Twain” Mason” I’m entering tech week for my show and we just had our line notes session. A line note session, for the uninitiated, is a fun painful session where you sit down with the stage manager and her prompt script and she points out all the places you’re deviating from the written text. A real life example: “Page 24, your first speech, you’re dropping the word “yet” from the end of the line “Please don’t go.”” I say painful only in the sense that exercising can be painful. It helps you improve yourself and the work, but it’s painful nonetheless. Where a note from the director can be inspiring and push you in a new direction or a stronger choice, a line note is basically a note that says, “You’re doing it wrong.” Here are some tips to make the line note session as painless as possible. For Stage Managers• Read the list as matter of factly as you can. Think of it as a grocery list: I need eggs, milk, and you’re saying “the” instead of “a”. • Don’t apologize for the line note session or for any individual note. There’s nothing to apologize for, we’re all part of the same team with the same goal. • Don’t use the session as an opportunity to bash the actors. I so clearly remember a line note session a few years back where the stage manager took so much glee that she knew the lines better than the actors did. Of course you know the lines better than us, you’re reading them from a book! For Actors• Welcome the session. It’s important. The playwright chose those words for a reason so let’s try and say them, shall we? • Don’t get emotionally involved or take the notes personally. Accept them as you would a grocery list – “Craig, can you pick up some eggs and milk, and can you please say ‘the’ instead of ‘a’ on page 32?” • Don’t explain, don’t challenge the SM, just accept the note, circle it in your book and say thanks. • Don’t take the notes personally, they are technical notes, not evaluations of you as a performer. They will help you make your performance as best as it can be. • Don’t question the importance of the deviation. I live with a playwright and I know how much time she spends agonizing over word choices. “The” and “a” are different words and they imply different things. Consider this sentence: “You are the love of my life.” “You are a love of my life” does not mean the same thing. And FinallyNo show will ever be 100% word perfect. It’s the nature of the beast. Theatre is a living breathing thing and there are thousands of variables going on in every performance. But we should always strive to do our best. Otherwise, what’s the point?