Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers
Entertain by portraying roles in productions, performing and composing dances, and performing a variety of other acts including via social media.
Opening night in four days
You are an actor in a small theatre company, in the last week of rehearsals for a new production. It is Monday. Opening night is Friday. You have a big scene to nail, a director with strong views and a body that is tired. A few small decisions will shape how the week goes.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I want you to play the confrontation scene completely differently from how we've rehearsed it for three weeks. Quieter, colder. Trust me. I can see it, and you'll need to find it by Wednesday.
Say you disagree and ask to keep the version you know, because it is working
Vivian pauses, then tells you she needs you to try. You have defended your work, but you have closed the door on an idea you had not yet explored.
Try it with full commitment, ask her questions about what she sees, and tell her what feels difficult
The quiet version is awkward at first, then something shifts. Vivian is thrilled and you discover a note in the character that you did not know was there. Honest effort and honest feedback make a good rehearsal room.
Agree with a smile but keep doing it your way in the hope she will not notice, since you are sure your version is better
Vivian notices at once. Rehearsal time is wasted, trust is hurt and your scene partner is left guessing which version is coming. Agreeing and then ignoring a direction is the quickest way to damage a cast.
I keep forgetting my lines in the second act and it's making me panic. I can't ask the director because I'm worried she'll replace me. Can you run lines with me tonight, and not tell anyone?
Run the lines with him tonight and promise to keep it secret, so he does not have to worry about the director finding out
It helps, but Theo takes that as permission to keep it secret. When he stumbles again on Wednesday, Vivian is surprised and you feel awkward. Helping is good, though hiding a problem rarely lasts.
Refuse, because you need your rest and it is not your job to coach him
You protect your energy, but Theo goes to bed with the problem. Your scenes together get worse, and you both feel it. Looking after yourself matters, though so does a scene partner.
Say yes to an hour of lines, and gently suggest he asks the stage manager for a line check, which is routine
Theo feels supported and the stage manager's check seems normal, not a sign of failure. By Thursday he is steady. Good ensembles look after each other.
You've got a sore throat today and the dress rehearsal is tomorrow. The understudy can cover tonight's run if you want to rest, but you'd miss an important lighting session. What do you want to do?
Push through and do everything, because you cannot miss a rehearsal this close to opening
You do the run, but your voice is worse by the evening. Wanting to be there is admirable, though a voice is an actor's most important tool.
Rest your voice tonight, ask the understudy to cover, and arrange to catch the lighting cues from the notes
You rest and your voice is better, but you miss the chance to feel the lighting live and spend the dress rehearsal catching up. A good plan, with a cost.
Rest tonight, ask the understudy to cover, and ask Marguerite to talk you through the key lighting changes tomorrow before you go on
Your voice recovers and the lighting cues take only a short walk through. You protect your instrument and keep the show on track. Performers pace themselves for the long run.
How it went
Opening night arrives with a scene that works, a cast that has each other's backs and a voice in good shape. Acting is as much about listening, flexibility and looking after yourself as it is about performing. Would that kind of teamwork suit you?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The understudy who went on at six o'clock
A fictional case set in a small theatre company in the last week of rehearsals before opening night.
The situation
Daniel was the understudy in a touring play at a regional theatre. At six o'clock on a Saturday, with the doors due to open at seven, the lead actor rang the stage manager from the road. A burst tyre had left him stranded three hours away. Daniel had rehearsed the part only in the back of the room and had never done a full run on stage. He was nervous, and the company manager asked whether he wanted to go on or whether they should cancel and refund the audience.
What they did
Daniel said he wanted to try. He asked the stage manager and the other actors for fifteen minutes to walk the stage and run the trickiest scenes with them. The cast told him exactly where they would be and what they would do if he lost his place. He accepted that he might hold a script for one scene, and the company announced a change of cast at the start of the night, in a warm and honest way.
How it turned out
Daniel stumbled on one line, and the cast covered it so smoothly the audience hardly noticed. The applause at the end was long. The lead actor arrived for the second half, sat in the wings and was the first to hug him. The director gave Daniel a bigger part in the next show.
What would you do?
- What helped Daniel feel able to say yes?
- How do actors keep a show going when something goes wrong?
- Would you rather prepare alone or lean on the people around you?