Process

Theatre is a funny thing, isn’t it? Teachers and students spend hours upon hours rehearsing, exploring, practicing, and reviewing. And that’s not even counting the hours spent working on the show outside of the drama room. Then, for about a week, the culmination of all that work is presented for audiences to experience. And then it’s over – with no real tangible result afterwards. Theatre leaves us with feelings, memories, and a shared experience, but without a physical product or item that you can hold in your hands. Alongside the intangible results of doing theatre, students can overlook the importance of rehearsals. When spread out over a long period of time, rehearsals can blur together and become an abstract concept. You show up, rehearse, go home, and repeat. Students don’t always think about how much time is spent in rehearsals until it’s the week before show week and they’re shocked about how much time has passed and whether or not they actually feel ready to go on. They may feel bogged down or stressed out by the process while also being super-focused on the final product. So how can we help to alleviate this? Are our students really, truly aware of how much time is spent on rehearsing versus performing? Let’s take a closer look. Using your rehearsal schedule, count how many hours are spent rehearsing versus how many hours are spent performing. For example, in a show I recently directed, we rehearsed three times a week, for two and a half to three hours per rehearsal. Totaled up, we did about 112 hours of rehearsal over a four-month period. Then, count up the number of performances you have scheduled. We had six performances, each approximately two hours long, for a total of 12 hours in the theatre in front of an audience. The numbers don’t lie – you can see that approximately 90% of our time together was spent in rehearsal – versus 10% of our time actually performing in front of an audience. Most shows I have worked on follow a similar pattern. Hence, the 90/10 idea. If 90% of the time is being spent in the rehearsal room, then let’s use that time in the best possible way! Work with your students to treat rehearsals as if they were performances. For example, how are students expected to behave during performance time? The emphasis is on focus, efficiency, being quiet backstage, and giving their best effort at all times. How wonderful and efficient would our rehearsals be if that happened each time everyone entered the drama room? There would be less need for constant repetition, more focus on “going deeper” with characters, and much less stress on everyone. By giving their full effort in rehearsal, students are better able to display their abilities, develop their endurance, and show their dedication to the show. By only giving a half effort, they are essentially holding themselves back from their true potential. Sit down with your students and have them figure out the numbers. Let them see for themselves the amount of time that’s spent on rehearsing versus the amount of time that’s spent on performing. Discuss with them: • What is the purpose of rehearsal? Why do we rehearse? • If we spend 90% of our total theatre time rehearsing, how can we best use that time? How can we focus on both efficacy and fun? • Why do you do theatre? Is it just to perform? Or is it for another reason? That 90% of theatre time spent on rehearsing addresses so many student concerns: • How can you grow and improve as a performer? Practice and review during rehearsals, which is entirely dedicated to helping students improve. • How can you get off-book more quickly? Well, you’ll need to do some work by yourself, of course. But you know where else you can work on those lines… That’s right – at rehearsal. • Do you truly love the thrill of performing? Rehearsals are the perfect place to perform on a frequent basis! • Is the show honestly ready for an audience, right this minute? If not, we’d better get rehearsing. Try using the 90/10 idea with your students to re-frame their mindset about rehearsals. Look at the numbers together as solid proof. Making the absolute most out of that majority of theatre time will result in the actual performances being that much better in the long run.

Coming to the end of a show’s run is an incredibly emotional experience. You’ve put hours and hours of work into a project that, in the end, has ceased to exist. Yes, you have the memories you’ve created and the friendships you’ve grown, and maybe some mementos (backstage photos, posters with autographs from the cast and crew, show shirts, etc.). But the creation process of a show is truly intangible. It’s not like painting a picture and then having the finished canvas to display, or creating a musical composition and having sheet music to share with other musicians. You’ve created an experience. Once the show is complete, the costumes are put away, the set is stripped, and you’re left with an empty theatre and a group of students who have post-show blues. Whether you’ve completed an extracurricular production or a classroom show project, it is important to take a step back and reflect on the process. This is an important step of the process because it provides closure–the final steps of your theatrical journey! Reflecting on your experience lets you re-visit your successes and failures, your areas for improvement, and what you’ve learned. It can also help you look towards the future–what worked really well and what you would do differently next time. The following series of questions can help you and your students reflect on your experiences and process of the show. Be sure to focus on YOUR experiences and process. While things like selling out a show and positive reviews are great things to celebrate, they aren’t something you have control over. Go deeper and focus on your journey–where you started and where the process has taken you. The purpose of these questions is for you and your students to reflect on the process of the show, but feel free to adapt them for weekly logbooks or journal entries, as well! For students:• Think back to your audition. How did you feel after you finished? Were you satisfied with your performance? Why or why not? • Think back to when you found out you were cast into the show and/or when you found out what role you’d be playing. Did the results match your expectations? Were you happy with your role? Why or why not? • Think back to the first rehearsal. What was the atmosphere like? Did you know everyone in the cast? What did you do in that first rehearsal? • Think back to a time during rehearsal when you had that “breakthrough” or “ah-ha!” moment, when something just clicked and fell into place and things made sense. What was going on in rehearsal? What triggered that moment? How did you feel at that point? • Think about the experience of tech and dress rehearsals. How did they compare to other shows you’ve worked on? What was different? • Think back to just before opening night. How did you feel? What was the energy like? • Think back to just before closing night. How did you feel? What was different between opening night and closing night? • Name one personal success you had during the process of the show. What will you take from that moment? • Name one failure you had during the process of the show. What did you learn from that moment? • What will you keep doing for the next show you participate in? What will you do differently? • Name one thing you learned during the process of the show. • Name one memory from this show that will stick with you forever.

The experience of working on a show is a multifaceted experience, but I think it can really be broken down into two main parts: the product and the process. The product is the final theatrical creation that is presented (a.k.a. your show). The process is the class/rehearsal/after school time and the methods/effort it took to get there. The product is the result of the process – the end that justifies the means. As a teacher, when you are creating a theatrical piece with your students, I urge you to consider the process as equally as important to, or even more important than the final product. Of course, everyone wants a wonderful show–that’s a given. It would pretty much be a waste of everyone’s time to think otherwise. However, the journey that you and your students take to get to that final product is essential. The means in which the process occurs has big stakes, including: • The skills students develop while working on a show (both onstage and off) • The lessons students learn during the process • The grades earned • The friendships grown through teamwork and camaraderie • The confidence gained through hard work, determination, and perseverance • The problem-solving skills developed through making mistakes and learning from them • The future of the drama program at your school (will students continue to take drama classes and/or come out for future productions?) Think of these ideas not in terms of “make-or-break,” but more in terms of goals. Look what we can achieve together! So HOW can you create an effective process for your students? Here are some suggestions to consider. 1. What’s your focus?Keeping a focus on the full ensemble of students is the best way to create a great process. Ensemble-based thinking creates a sense of fairness and equality. While we all recognize that not everyone in the show is or can be a lead, it’s important to ensure all students feel that they are an important part of the show. Downplay the idea of “stars” and create a sense of community and teamwork. Don’t play favourites with the lead actors–that’s a surefire way to create discord in the group. Focus on group bonding exercises and be sure to include the crew! It is easy to neglect the crew during the rehearsal process in favour of the actors, but your crew team are equally important and should be included in meetings, rehearsals, group exercises, and celebrations. 2. How’s your attitude?If you are excited about the process and the show, it sets a good example for your students, and they will follow your lead. Show your passion and emotion, and be real. Students can tell when you’re in “teacher mode.” Maintain professionalism, of course, but also allow them to see your human side. Theatre is all about feelings and emotions! Have confidence, as well. There is always a point where things get difficult–actors struggling with lines, crew having technical issues, whatever can possibly go wrong actually going wrong–but you need to be strong for your students. Show that you believe in your students, their abilities, and their personalities (both as a group and as individuals). The more you get to know them as individuals, the better you’ll be able to adjust your approach to their needs. Some students prefer a no-nonsense approach while others need a softer hand. Each student is a piece of the puzzle that combines to make the full picture! And on that note… 3. How’s their attitude?What are your students hoping to get out of the experience? What are their goals? How are they feeling (both about themselves and about the process)? Have these feelings changed at all throughout the process? Check in with them frequently, and be available as much as possible when they have questions or concerns. For your own sanity, make it clear what times are appropriate for them to ask questions–while you want to encourage an open line of communication, you don’t want your rehearsal stalled by an impromptu game of “20 Questions.” 4. Think from your students’ perspectives.Students are smart (of course–they’re your students!) and they are busier than ever. If they’re participating in your production, they’ll want to know what’s in it for them. Students want to feel useful, that they’re being heard and understood, that their time is valued, and that they’re learning something. Things like setting a clear rehearsal schedule early on are a good way to show that you’re thinking ahead, that you respect their time, and that you’re not calling students to rehearsal when they’re not being used. This is why it’s key to create an open line of communication from the very start of the process. 5. Remember the fun and don’t take yourselves TOO seriously.How do you measure success? You might have a gorgeous production and have sold out the whole run–but if your students hated the process, is it a success? Always strive for theatrical excellence while still keeping the FUN. Theatre can be hard work, but if it’s not fun, what’s the point? So much of theatre is play–after all, Shakespeare himself said “the play’s the thing”!