Straight 6, 5 and 4

[denisezeiler]

 ???Maybe its just me - but I am having trouble understand the rules for straight 6, 5 and 4 rehearsals. If a straight 6 starts at 10am then it would get out at 4pm? Assuming one of the 10 minute breaks is extended to 20 minutes?

[Jessie_K]

Exacxtly. But cast most vote unanimously to allow this.

[denisezeiler]

That's what I thought. They did...they love it. Thanks!

[malewen]

Just remember that in a straight six hour rehearsal there can't be any calls outside of the rehearsal hours.  This means if you need to schedule costume fittings or press events or anything else, they need to happen within the six hour block.  Casts and directors tend to love the six hour block. although I find that it makes for a very long day for the stage managers.  Still, I often vote to allow its' use because it does shorten the overall length of the day.  Speaking of voting, remember that the vote has to be a secret ballot.

[MatthewShiner]

Also remember, on the LORT contract, the straight six counts as eight hours when you are totalling your week's hours.

(Equity Math)

[Rebbe]

In SPT, the Straight 6 counts as 7 rehearsal hours.  The Straight 6 is a great option to have, but keep an eye on all the caveats that go along with it (contract riders...24 hours' notice...only on weekends for categories 1-4...fun stuff :-).   

[nmno]

Just remember that in a straight six hour rehearsal there can't be any calls outside of the rehearsal hours.  This means if you need to schedule costume fittings or press events or anything else, they need to happen within the six hour block. 

...if it is used in combination with a regular 8/10 day (according to the LORT contract).  that is, if you use a 6 hr day on Tuesday and regular 7.5 or 8's for the rest of the week, the span of day can only be 6 hours.  If you are solely using the 6hour day you can schedule an additional hour for costume fittings - there is more to the 6hour rule than this so be sure to double check what your rulebook says and check if your office if you aren't clear!

I personally hate the 6 hour day - just makes it too long without a break for me (I never seem to take those 10's or 20's).  I do like "encouraging" the actors to at least vote for it's partial use...  I've had some scheduling binds that have been solved by being able to use the 6 hour day.  I also had a miserable experience with a 6hr schedule working on a show where one actress was onstage the entire show, which meant she was "on" working 6hrs straight.  By the end of the day she was pretty beat up and it was hard for her to stay productive...  She commented to me: it seemed like a good idea, but never again.  Now, I try to keep an eye out for this.

[Jessie_K]

For me, I prefer the straight 6 over the "vote for one hour lunch."  If I can't get a full 1.5 to eat, check in with departments, deal with 2nd half of day, then I'd rather have the whole day be shorter and deal with stuff by coming in a little earlier and staying a little later.  On one hour lunch breaks, I find myself forgetting to eat anyway.