Musical Plays
 

How many of you have been involved in musical plays? I got some questions to ask.

I was in a couple in junior high...

I was involved in a few.

Ask away!

I've done a lot. What's up?

Mr. AChiOAlumna is a theatre director and high school drama teacher. He's been in lots of musicals...maybe I can help or get info from him...

I've been a dancer, singer, pit orchestra player, crew member....

What's up?

I was in several musicals in high school, onstage & in the orchestra pit. I also performed in an Opera at U of L, but that may or may not have anything to do with your question.

Oh, I'm theatre trash through and through! Ask asay!

(1) Will 5 weeks of rehearsal be suffice for a professionally run production? They will be rehearsing 9 to 5, weekdays.
(2) I know that the cast and the orchestra do not rehearse together until the final week. how long does the orchestra need to rehearse? The same as the cast, or do they need a shorter time?

Five weeks sounds about right to me. The final week before opening is "hell week" when you put it all together and add the orchestra. I've been in several where the choral rehearsals started a couple of weeks earlier than the staging so that when we went to the stage, everyone knew all the songs. That helped a lot. I'm not as sure about the orchestra - I'm thinking they might not need as much time as the actors. Hope this is helpful.

yep
 

That sounds about right to me, if they are rehearsing daily, and definitely every single day the week before, for tech/stage runs...I actually just tried out for a show this past saturday.....and it's about 5-6 weeks for rehearsal....i find out this friday if i made it eeeK!:D :eek:

I'd say the orchestra needs about two weeks. One week by themselves, one week with the cast. The music should mailed out/picked up PRIOR to their first rehearsal week.

Every one I've been in has had a week of choral rehearsal, 4 weeks of regular stage rehearsals, and a hell week with the orchestra. In my experience, the orchestra practices seperately before the final week.

Thanks for the help guys!!!!

Another question:

for a 5 weeks rehearsal period, how long should the cast practice at a rehearsal room? When should they move to the stage?

I'd say that if they could practice on a stage (not necessarily "the" stage) the entire time it would be ideal, but that isn't always possible. I would say that at least one week prior to the performance on stage is enough. That is assuming, of course, that the stage is set up & ready, and the stage crew has been assembled & prepared.


And, as for the Orchestra, I'd honestly say 3 weeks of preparation is best. The musicians should get one week to prepare the music on their own, one week with the rest of the orchestra, and then one week with the cast. Its how I've always done it in the past & I think it works well. The earlier you get that music in their hands the better prepared they will be for rehearsal. The same concept applies to the actors & actresses & anyone else dealing with music. It should definitely be learned before putting them on stage so that they can be easily manipulated once memorized.

Re: yep
 

Have you found out?

If you do one week of choral rehearsal, that could be in a practice room. By the end of that week, they should be off book and ready to be on stage for the rest of the time.

New question:

What is the general thumb rule when it come to the cost of the license? I've herd 10% of the gate receipt.

The cost of the license is set by the company that holds the royalties to the musical in question. Generally:

*They are more expensive than plays without music (dramas, comedies. etc.)
*They are contingent on the size of the house
*They are contingent on the length of the run
*They are usually non negotiable.

You'll have to contact the royalty company and see what they have to say...good luck!

As a "professional" musician, I was always given the sheet music about one-two months in advance, along w/ a tape or cd copy of a recording of the score. We never practiced separately once - we showed up during the last week of practice (as they were usually dress rehearsals) and performed.

In school musicals, we practiced separately from the cast about two weeks ahead of time. But we were still given the sheet music about one-two months in advance.

And professional costs more than amateur, and if there's a tour going on, they generally won't give you the license if the tour is near the area at that time-I believe it's within 500 miles.

That won't be a problem, closest production is about 5,000 miles away. And that is in Tokyo.