REHEARSAL: Sign-in Sheet for Rehearsals

[MarcieA]

Just curious if anyone has done (or currently uses) a sign in sheet for rehearsals?

I have never used one but an actor brought it up today, so I thought I'd see who might.

Added tag to subject line-Rebbe

[MatthewShiner]

I do all the time for a multitude of a reasons (and usually the sign in sheet is built in to the daily call)

1) it makes it easier on cast of a certain size to make sure they that everyone is there for the first call.  With 30 people in the cast, sometimes it's just easier to look at the call board to see if they have signed in and then look for the them.
2) I do talk to the cast during our first meeting and say that when they arrive they should check the schedule to make sure it has changed since they night before or if there are any other announcements - when they sign in - that's their acknowledgment they have read the call board.
3) It also trains the cast to sign in upon arrival.  Good call board habits need to be rehearsed as well as everything else.

[DeeCap]

I would have a sign-in-sheet for larger casts and not for smaller ones.

Looking back, I would probably have a sheet for all casts and all rehearsals. Once we got into tech, it was more of an effort to locate them to remind them to sign in.

[nick_tochelli]

I have recently let the sign in sheet slide from my routine, but that's more because I've been working on small shows with small casts of 2 people and haven't needed it. Especially when the venue the show is performed in requires the cast to walk through the house before going to the dressing rooms, it worked perfectly fine to have them visually check in with me on arrival.

We had the sign in sheets while I was on tour, but they were basically pointless. The cast was checked in by the company manager when they got on the bus, and I performed a head count when they arrived to make sure the company manager didn't mess up (by the time the cast would have gotten to the call board, the bus driver would already be gone and we'd have no easy way of picking up a straggling actor we miscounted). We still hung it up every venue, but the cast took to the sign in sheet as a graffiti board instead of useful things....like signing in.

The only time they were necessary were in cities where the hotel was close enough to the venue we canceled the bus transportation to the venue and the cast walked. And like Matt and Dee said, the cast was not trained well and didn't sign in and we had to go hunt them down at half hour.

[MarcieA]

This cast is 5 actors, who are all on stage for the whole show. Basically all 5 are called at the same time, or only one is called for 1/2 the day and then released and a 2nd actor called for the next part of the day.

Also - we're in a rental space, so we don't have access to our room until the rehearsal is scheduled to start, with no green room or anything, we just stand around in the lobby if we're early, so it's kind of a 'you're there or you're not' situation.

I'm not opposed to the idea of the sheet, I've just never used one in a rehearsal setting until tech.

[Balletdork]

Big casts- (15+) yes! Casts the size I usually have (2 to 4), not so much.

Signing in for rehearsal when there are over a dozen actors called is a super-good idea! Especially when rehearsals are split. At my current theater we usually have only 2 to 4 actors, so it's not worth it~ but when you have a chorus and and soloist and principals- do it!

[planetmike]

On a larger cast, or with staggered call times, or in a larger space, I found a sign in sheet during rehearsals to be essential. When I did My Fair Lady at a community theater last Spring, after about a week of nagging/reminding/asking pretty much the entire cast would sign in first thing when arriving at the theater for rehearsals. A few of the cast members were confused when the group's next show the stage manger did not do a sign in sheet until Tech Week.

[maximillionx]

My current cast is 5 people...so no sign in sheet for them.

My next cast is 22...absolutely.

[Rebbe]

I don’t use sign-in sheets during rehearsals for small-cast shows.   I usually start during Tech.  If it makes your job easier to have them sign-in for rehearsals, go for it.  If it makes extra work for you and doesn’t feel necessary, I don’t think you should feel pressured to provide one.   

The one time I had an actor ask me about this, it was on a four person show and he had just come from a season with our own Matthew Shiner as PSM, so apparently his good call board habit really did stick  . 

[MarcieA]

The one time I had an actor ask me about this, it was on a four person show and he had just come from a season with our own Matthew Shiner as PSM, so apparently his good call board habit really did stick  .

Obviously my actor must have worked with Mr. Shiner, as he was adamant that the sign in sheet was a necessary component to rehearsal. I'll have to make one, or else he'll start signing the door out of habit!

[MatthewShiner]

Quote from: Rebbe on Today at 08:03:17 AM

    The one time I had an actor ask me about this, it was on a four person show and he had just come from a season with our own Matthew Shiner as PSM, so apparently his good call board habit really did stick  .


Obviously my actor must have worked with Mr. Shiner, as he was adamant that the sign in sheet was a necessary component to rehearsal. I'll have to make one, or else he'll start signing the door out of habit!

Crap - leaving my mark on American Theater.

[VilleSM]

During rehearsals, I keep track of attendance on my own (or have an ASM do it) so that I can black out who is not supposed to be at rehearsals.

Once we start tech, or we move into the space, I hang a sign-in sheet on the call board. I'll generally have a second attendance sheet on my person so that I can check off people as I see them, then double check the board at first call to see who is actually there.

[planetmike]

I'll generally have a second attendance sheet on my person so that I can check off people as I see them, then double check the board at first call to see who is actually there.

That's a great idea! I'll have to start doing that! So obvious in retrospect.

[SGU312]

During rehearsals, I keep track of attendance on my own (or have an ASM do it) so that I can black out who is not supposed to be at rehearsals.

Once we start tech, or we move into the space, I hang a sign-in sheet on the call board. I'll generally have a second attendance sheet on my person so that I can check off people as I see them, then double check the board at first call to see who is actually there.

This is what I am doing. ^
I am currently in rehearsals with a cast of 22. I have my ASMs check off people as they come in. Once we move into tech/dress/performances a sign in sheet will be posted on the call board, and like you said, I can then double check who is there and who is not. It was suggested to me that I have the cast sign in each day. I am not opposed to the idea, however, the way it was presented to me made it unappealing.
Also, when I was in high school, I had the cast sign in each day. I wanted to try to move away from how I stage managed in high school.
But, I think for large casts it's a good idea to either have the cast sign in themselves or have an ASM check off people as they arrive.

[MatthewShiner]

I guess the issue comes down to your rehearsal space / holding area.

If you have a rehearsal room / green room situation, I think the sign in situation would be more of the ideal.  (In most situations like this, I don't want people coming into the rehearsal room until I call them, but I want to be able to send out an assistant to quickly check if everyone for the next scene has arrived.)

If you have a only one room, then checking in people as they come in would more sense.

You always should customize for you specific situation - one the best things about stage management is you always have to tweak given your given circumstances.