Beauty and the Beast - Tech and Dress Rehearsal

Tech rehearsal is the night you try and eliminate all the potential technical problems (lights, sound, flies, sets, costumes, entrances and exits) that might happen during your show. In an ideal world all elements would be ready and you could run an efficient cue to cue. In the real world many elements that will become routine during the show have just been installed and are yet to be tried for the first time. Problems from a variety of directions can stack up and each needs to be solved, at least theoretically, before we are able to move on. It can require a lot of patience during the rehearsal and an icy pint afterwards. Unless last call happens while you are still working. Sorry all. We had a late night, but when we finally rolled out at 2:30 am it was with the confidence that we had solved our technical issues.

Dress Rehearsal ran the next night and moved with high efficiency. We had a late start due to some helpful but unexpected general maintenance in the theatre space, but finished our dress at 11:00, which was v. acceptable. A few tweaks were still required but the elements were looking v. good and we were all enthused about opening.

Most audience members will come and see a show and be unable to imagine the amount of work that each member of the cast and crew has put into making the show happen. Theatre people give tremendously of themselves in hopes of moving their audience emotionally. It's an honour to work amongst people who give so freely and enthusiastically of their time and skills so they may draw alongside strangers and encourage them with a powerful story.