ABSTRACT
The period between leaving the rehearsal space and opening the show to the public is called the ‘production week’, irrespective of how many days this actually takes. During this time there is a bewildering amount to achieve, and for this reason there must be very careful planning to ensure that the time is used as productively as possible. During the production meetings, which should ideally have taken place at regular intervals during rehearsals, the director and stage manager should have drawn up a detailed schedule for this production week, and cleared it with each of the heads of department. The production schedule illustrated on p.27 shows the allocation of time for technical and dress rehearsals once the actors have arrived in the theatre. Similarly, the stage manager must ensure that a detailed production schedule is drawn up to cover the period prior to this, when the ‘get-in’ and the ‘fit-up’ will need to take place.
