Author Topic: REHEARSALS: Dialect Rehearsals  (Read 6680 times)

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MileHighSM

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REHEARSALS: Dialect Rehearsals
« on: Oct 24, 2006, 12:52 am »
I'm currently working on a production in grad school w/ a three member cast.  They're doing individual dialect rehearsals tomorrow night, and the director and dialect coach have said I'm not needed, but I would almost feel guilty skipping rehearsal (though I could use the night off to work on school work).  What are people's opinions?
« Last Edit: Jun 08, 2009, 11:52 pm by PSMKay »

BalletPSM

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #1 on: Oct 24, 2006, 01:15 am »
You don't need to be there for dialect appointments, especially if the director and coach have told you this. 

Unless they've specifically told you NOT to come, you could go if you wanted to; sometimes its good to see the kind of work the director does with this so if they're talking about doing a specific exercise with the actors or talking about something else related to the dialect you're not completely clueless. 

But you definitely shouldn't feel guilty about missing a dialect rehearsal, especially when they are individual appointments.
Stage managing is getting to do everything your mom told you not to do - read in the dark, sit too close to the TV, and play with the light switches!

MatthewShiner

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #2 on: Oct 24, 2006, 02:50 am »
Although you do not need to be in the rehearsal, I feellike you should be there to set up and make sure everyone arrives on time.

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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

ChaCha

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #3 on: Oct 24, 2006, 05:12 am »
Why not just make sure the dialect coach has your phone number and those of the actors in case of any problems/lateness and take them at their word that you are not required. You dont need to learn to speak in dialect. They do. There's only three of them and they have individual sessions. They are not talking about meaning or content, just pronunciation.
ChaCha

centaura

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #4 on: Oct 24, 2006, 12:56 pm »
My question to the director would be whether you were going to be expected to do dialect notes along with your line notes.  If you don't - then take the night off.  There are going to be times when you're not needed for a production and its a good thing to learn early is to survive the guilt and get some personal stuff done.

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thecharleslloyd

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #5 on: Oct 25, 2006, 04:41 pm »
I just hang untill the actors are in place and take an early night. Use the time for rest or study, when production week comes along, you will have wished you had used the time as the director wanted. Good luck

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prizm

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #6 on: Oct 26, 2006, 01:11 am »
I worked in a Shakespeare theatre for several years and there were always vocal sessions and I was never at them. usually they fell into the rehersal hours and were scheduled like fittings so i was in the rehersal hall anyway. But some days I would be forced to schedule rehersal to start after a vocal for a lead since they were never offstage long enough to miss an hour of rehearsal. on those occasions I treated it like the costume shop, vocal staff had a contact sheet and they could deal with it. I do give dilect notes after opening but the staff has always prepared an IPA sheet for me and I usually get copies of the notes they are given after runs. So I deal with it that way, usually the actors knows when they slipped up anyway.

MatthewShiner

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #7 on: Oct 26, 2006, 10:40 am »
In an Equity situation, if an actor is in rehearsal, regardless of the rehearsal, I think a SM should be present.  In the cast of a school situation like this, I still think the SM should be present - although not necessarily in the room with them, but just to make sure it is set up, running well, doors are unlocked, etc, etc.

I remember once when doing a dance show, I was not required to be at rehearsals, but I did attend a lot of them, to the point I was expected.  One rehearsal I chose not to be there, I received a phone call asking where I was . . . no one had brought keys to the rehearsal space. 

Little things like that come up; it's nice to be to handle them, but in the end there is no right or wrong answer for this - it's all a question of the style of the SM.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

Aerial

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #8 on: Oct 26, 2006, 10:59 am »
Last year, I was working for a grad school, and they often had sessions with the school's vocal teacher.  Usually these were during rehearsal hours, or set up during odd openings in their class schedule, always held in the teacher's office.  These meetings I did not feel the need to attend, beyond making sure that everyone was present, and things open.  A few times the casts would be working with the director and vocal coach together,and those I always liked to attend, even if they said they didn't really need me.

nmno

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Re: Dialect Rehearsals
« Reply #9 on: Oct 27, 2006, 09:17 pm »
If it were me, I would be there...  Not necessarily in the room, maybe in my office doing paperwork, online shopping, whatever - but at least be there to make sure things get started alright, make copies, make sure they have a working tape recorder, water, just generally be available.