PROFESSIONALISM: Hell Week...?

[Wandering Ninja]

To play devil's advocate: hell week can be a useful term for some college theaters. It can sever as a warning to people that if they don't get their work done, both school and theater, this is going to be a tough week for them. There have been some shows where all I did was homework, theater, and class, and I barely kept up with the work I needed to do. I do understand that it is not always hell, but from my three years of experience there is almost always something that causes a problem for someone. It may not be the SM, there are other departments/people that could have a hard time.

[Celeste_SM]

I never call it hell week. I used to be a bit offended by actors who would call tech week by this name, because I put so much effort into making it the best possible experience for them (and everyone). Then I realized that it was a point of pride, and that "hell week" jokes and complaints would happen even if it was perfectly smooth.  I got over it, but I'm not above joking back at people who use the phrase around me. "Hell week, huh? Did you get out of rehearsal late? Work any harder than usual? Thought not."

I do get the value of the term for team-building and it really IS hell week sometimes. I just don't call it that regardless.

[sievep]

I have to say that in my own experience I've never heard that term used outside of high school theatre, and I would consider it a mark of someone who is less concerned with diplomacy.  We set a tone in our rehearsals, and calling tech "hell", even though it might be, is not helpful or useful.

I worked with a well known actress who, when she wasn't on stage during tech, would sit in the house and cheer on the folks onstage.  She was such a team player and even in the most frustrating of pauses while the lighting designer wrote a cue was able to lift the spirits of everyone in the room.  She's one of my heros.

[LisaS]

I finished teching a show last week with the theatre department at my college and found it interesting that many of the actors who had never been in a department show before went in calling it hell week, but mostly used tech after we got going and they realized that it was no different from regular rehearsals in amount of time spent and how strenuous rehearsals were.  On the other hand, the student run shows do tend to have "hell week."  I think that the term comes into play when the actors are doing things other than their job of performing.  When the actors are not being forced to rehearse longer hours than they are used to, but also building and painting, while trying to get all of their school work done, that's when it becomes hell.

[Scaenicus]

I am in high school, so the term "Hell Week" is official enough to be written into our handbook.  This is not very professional in "real theatre," of course, but in our setting it is a useful name.

Keep in mind that for 2/3 of kids who are under 17 (driving age in NY state), their parents have to pick them up at 11 pm, give them twice the amount of money to pay for lunch and dinner, and do twice as much laundry between costumes, tech clothes, and actual clothing.  So for all persons involved, yes, tech week is a week from hell.

I really like tech/hell week, though.  Things start to come together, the set actually looks passable, and the show seems fresher than ever with costumes and makeup added.

[Amie]

I come from the same community theatre background as BalletPSM and it is normal to use the term Hell Sunday (and Hell Week). However, I have learned also to explain to my cast in a comforting an easy going way, "This week has been called 'hell week' in the past, and, yes, it is challenging but..." and go on to explain that we all need to be patient, and work together, and that it actually can be an exciting week as the show comes together. (And honestly, as stage manager's, isn't it both stressful and exciting for us anyway, as the show transitions from director to stage manager in terms of control and management?)

Something like this, of course, but yes...I've heard this term before.