Fittings on a Straight-Six day

[hbelden]

If we have a straight-six rehearsal block, I can schedule fittings during the six hours but not before the rehearsal starts.  Am I correct in this?

"the six-hour block shall constitute the entire work schedule for the day" - WCLO contract

Thanks,
--
Heath

[J]

There is a rule that allows for 2 extra hours of fittings (50.C.2.a) in a week of 6 straight six days in a row.  There must be a 3/4 majority vote in favor of the the 6 in a row and 2 extra hours, however. This is according to page 53 of the LORT rule book.

You also have to give a 1 hr break between the rehearsal and the fittings, unless the individual actors request to not have one.

[Sarah]

I was wondering when a serious discussion of this rule would pop up; the syntax has always annoyed me. When rehearsing a straight-six, I always try to schedule fittings within the rehearsal day to avoid any headaches due to sussing out contract-speak. I realize it's not always possible to do this but the way I read the rule, you can't schedule fittings outside of rehearsal on a straight-six day that is part of a combined 8/10 (7/9) and straight-six work week. We rarely rehearse a 6 day straight-six work week.

[J]

I often rehearse a 6 day st. 6 week, and until recently, I had read that rule to mean that the 2 extra hours was the vote. Recently I realized that the vote is actually more about the actors approving the theatre to use a full week of straight 6's and that the 2 hours is the "luxary" that the theatre is provided for doing so. 

It's one of those funny rules that's annoying to read, because it can sound like so many different things.  I definitely agree, Sarah, that it's best to try and get the fittings into the rehearsal hours if possible instead of having to deal with this rule.

But I am wondering, is this how others are reading the rule too?  "The actors by vote have to approve the theatre's use of 6 straight six rehearsals in a week, and by doing so, they allow the theatre to have 2 additional hours for costume fittings".  This means that there are 2 votes for straight sixes, one for the use of them in general (in comb. with regular days) and one for doing only straight sixes in a week.

[EFMcMullen]

The LORT theatre I currently work at tends to rehearse 6 hour blocks for most shows.  Because our final week of rehearsals also includes our first 10/12, I have always taken two votes on the first day: one for 6 days of 6 hours (making sure the actors understand the 2 hour fitting/PR rule) and one for the combined week.

[MatthewShiner]

Yes, on an Occasional straight-six hour day (NOT A WEEK OF STRAIGHT SIXES) your costume fittings need to happen in those 6 hours.

If there is a vote for a week of straight sixes, and you are indeed scheduling a week of straight sixes, you can have 2 hours outside of those 36 hours for costume fittings.

[hbelden]

Thanks to all. My confusion was due to my history of working the LORT contract, I had a memory of the straight-six rule providing for outside-rehearsal fittings.  I forgot that it was in conjunction with a 6-day straight-six week but the WCLO contract doesn't allow 6-days; it allows a maximum of 3 days a week being straight-sixes. 

I can now go to the director and tell him a day he wants to be straight-six must actually be 7 with a lunch break, or he needs to rehearse without the lead for an hour of that day.

Thanks again,