LORT-LOA Tech Hours- Creative Suggestions More Than Welcome!

[Gina]

Hello Ladies and Gents,

I could use some help thinking out of the box. I'm interested in any creative solutions you might have.

Thanks,
Gina

The Facts:

• I'm working on a LORT-LOA that has a maximum rehearsal week of 45 hours including Tech Week.
• We are allowed 2- 10/12 and a max of 8/10 the other days.
• A straight 6 still counts as an 8hr day.
• After that overtime rate would be $12/half hour per person (10 including SM).
• The crew, staff, and venue overtime are not a factor.
• Our tech is a Monday-Sunday with Monday being the day off.
• To add a little more creative fun, Sunday we have to end our day by 3pm to accommodate a load out to our first tour date.
• I am also trying to leave a 8a-12p work call in there for the crew.

I would love to do the improbable- make a reasonable week, that makes the most people happy, without costing my company $1680 in overtime charges (Which would be a 52 hour week, normally allowable under LORT for tech).

Here is the best swing I had at it-

If I do 3- 7/9's, 2- 10/12's, I could do a 5 the last day then I'm only 1 hour into overtime. Here's what I was thinking:

Monday- Day Off
Tuesday- 12p-9p (7/9)
Wednesday- 12p-12a (10/12)
Thursday- 12p-12a (10/12)
Friday- 12p-9p (7/9)
Saturday-12p-9p (7/9) [Could start this day earlier to allow for an evening work call]
Sunday- 10a-3p (5/5)

I tried a few other drafts (with some time tetris involved)-

• B- Sunday as a 6/7...Gain one hour of rehearsal, 2 hours of overtime for $480.
• C- Sunday as a Straight 6..Still only gain 1 hour of rehearsal but allows an extra hour of work notes, for 4 hours of over time for $960. (Honestly this sounds rather silly if work call isn't an issue.)
• D- Max out our rehearsals with the 7/9 being 8/10's with Sunday as a 6/7, 5 hours of over time for $1200.
• E- Same as D with a Straight 6 Sunday, 7 hours of over time for $1680. (In my book, not enough bang for the buck.)

[MatthewShiner]

Depending on the show, and the cast . . . can you stagger actor calls, so you save 2 hours with actors one day, and not pay them . . . I have done shows where there is 10/12 for one group one day and 10/12 for another group another day.  If you can tech out of order, you maybe able to gain some time that way.

If you early enough in the process, can you do a day of tech on the week before?  So gain hours in tech, but losing rehearsal time???

[nick_tochelli]

hehehehehehehe! I remember this oh so very well.

First, I'd say don't ever schedule overtime. If you can avoid it, don't allow for it. Your final day can be four hours. In fact, depending on how it goes, you may just cut it down for the length of the run of the show. If you're only scheduling one hour of OT what can reasonably be accomplished in 5 hours that you can't accomplish in 4 at that late hour of tech? That contract should also give you the 48 hour change of rehearsal day allowance. If you find that you need to add the hour back.

I'd also never lay 10/12s back to back. You will have a very cranky and tired crew. You'll have a crotchety cast, and you may also have a cast that attempts to push you into further overtime. I'd not start your day earlier on Saturday. If you do, no one will have a chance to do notes on the stage and you'll have another full day of tech without any fixes/modifications. If you get done early, release early.

I worked this tour. Granted, I had more time because of the special agreement which apparently expired.

[Gina]

@Matthew Shiner- Staggered calls for the win. The show is Mice and Men, so it's probably possible for all but 2 actors...which for $48 I can imagine they could swing. Unfortunately we can't get in the venue early...but that was another great suggestion. Thanks!

@Nick Tochelli- You must be the "Nick at Barbizon" I keep hearing about. It's definitely a tight one. Thanks for your insight. Sad that the tech hour fairy disappeared with that provision...ah well. No one was keen on doing the 10/12's back-back, but due to a couple factors we are a bit boxed in at the moment. Still exploring options. Thanks again!

[loebtmc]

(I don't know how you DON'T do 10/12s back to back!)

This play is easy for staggered hours - no one is on stage the whole time. You can potentially be the only one w OT. But I agree, avoid pre-scheduling OT if you can. Just give your producers a heads up (in writing if possible) that says "if we do X then these actors and I will accrue Y hours of OT" and let them say OK.

And depending on your designers, this is not normally a super tech-heavy show, so getting it all done can actually happen.

[nick_tochelli]

Yup! That's me!

And you really wouldn't Want to split your 10/12s? I've never put them back to back. I find people feel better rested when they have a long day followed by a short one. They feel better on that second 10/12 I find.

[babens]

The only time I've ever encountered split 10 out of 12s was when there was a day off in between them.  Personally, I would rather get them over and done, kind of like just pulling the band-aid off quickly rather than trying to ease it off slowly, which only prolongs the pain.

[loebtmc]

frankly, I've never had the choice. There is only one theatre I know of where the 10/12s are split. Otherwise, they have always been back to back for me.

[nick_tochelli]

I find psychologically people feel better when they get out one day at midnight and the next night at 9. They can catch a movie, go out to dinner...they don't feel like their whole life is being sunk into the production. Less burned out actors makes for (potentially) easier tech.

[BayAreaSM]

Maybe I'm also the odd one? At least at the major theaters in my area we rotate 10/12 with 8/10 every other day during tech. Though we do start tech on Thursday, take Monday off and start previews the following Wednesday (and we're just LORT, not an LOA).

[MatthewShiner]

I find psychologically people feel better when they get out one day at midnight and the next night at 9. They can catch a movie, go out to dinner...they don't feel like their whole life is being sunk into the production. Less burned out actors makes for (potentially) easier tech.

But, most theatre's I work need the morning hours to do scenic notes, costumes notes, etc, etc.  So, days are either 12:00n - 12:00m, or 2:00p to 12:00m.

I like the two 10/12s together and early to get through more of the show earlier for departments to respond with more time before the first audience. 

And, I am always dealing more with long term fatigue . . . form a tech week into a week (or more) of previews - so, get them done early, together, and get more into the time schedule we are going to be in for previews . . .

[RuthNY]

10 out of 12's in a row, at most places I've ever worked. Prefer it this way, myself. I like the momentum.

[babens]

I also find those extra two hours by doing the 10 out of 12s back to back can mean the difference between getting through the show in two days, as opposed to coming back on your third day and still having the last portion of the show to tech.  I've been in many situations where if we were doing an 8 out of 10, or 7 out of 9 as we see on this schedule, we would not have made it through the show by the end of the second day, which I find to be more straining psychologically on everybody.

[Gina]

This is a really interesting tangent...where do you put your 10/12s. I personally like them together, earlier in the week. My company would have rather split them but due to a couple scheduling issues they are together earlier in the week...You won't hear me complain. Tech is tech, but when it's only a week and is the same amount of hours as rehearsal, I would think people will adjust to it. To me it helps that transition of being a day worker into being a night worker. I'll take a week of tech over a month of previews any day of the week though.