MYART ensemble rehearsals are a fun time for both students and staff. For new participants it isn't always clear, based upon what they see at the first rehearsal, how the show will come together in the end. By the end of a production it can seem amazing how thing all fall into place.
Often, but not always, the first rehearsal is spent playing theatre games. The purpose of the games is to teach teamwork, inspire creativity and for the students to get to know one another. After theatre games have finished rehearsal moves on to song, dance & acting. The focus of rehearsals from then on will remain song, dance & acting.
For new students the songs and dances can seem like a lot of information to learn. However, in time students become accustomed to learning them and the process gets easier.
For the first two or three rehearsals students are grouped by grade level. Typically they divide along the following grades:
On the last day of open rehearsals the students are re-grouped into smaller groups. The number of groups depends on the size of the cast and the particular needs of the show. But usually the number is four or five.
To re-group the students the director has them perform, a few students at a time, a dance number taught during previous rehearsals. Using the individual students size, age, ability to perform the dance and the needs of the show the director will begin grouping the students. Often students will perform the dance material more than once and may be moved from group to group.
At the end of rehearsal on grouping day students receive a rehearsal schedule or other piece of paper with the name of their group on it.
The groups the student a placed into are named by the director. Occasionally the director will pick names related to the show. For example in Peter Pan the groups might be named "Sun, Moon, Stars" and so forth. In The Wizard of Oz the names might be "Lions, Tigers, Bears" and so on. However, usually the groups are simply named in alphabetical order from youngest to oldest. Traditionally MYART uses the following names:
Once grouping day is complete the director, musical director and choreographer will begin teaching students material specific to their group. Each group is taught separate material. However, often the material is similar.
The purpose for this is evident once the full cast comes together toward the end of the rehearsal process. Only at that time can the vision of the staff be seen. For example, breaks in the material of one group which didn't seem to have a purpose suddenly make sense when another groups performs their related material.
It is important for students to practice at home the material they are taught during rehearsal. Rehearsals are a week apart. In the intervening week it is easy for a student to forget what they were taught.
If students spend just a few minutes each day reviewing the material the next rehearsal will be more effective. One of the biggest wastes of time during rehearsal is when the director has to re-teach material.
A consistent challenge during rehearsals is keeping the noise level down. In a room full of dozens of children having fun it is easy for the noise level to quickly rise to the point the director must yell to be heard. At that time the director must quiet the cast. If the director must continually quiet the cast rehearsal is less effective. Doing so is also very frustrating for the director.
It is very important for parents to communicate with their children the importance of being quiet and paying attention. Even whispered conversations become disruptive if there are enough of them.
Toward the end of the rehearsal process it is common for additional rehearsals to be scheduled. The purpose of these rehearsals is to bring the entire cast together and run the show. These are known as "run throughs" or "runs".
During a run the director will find and fix problems that only become evident when the entire cast is together. Fixing such problems may require making changes to the material a group has been taught. It is much easier for the student to handle last minute changes if they have a solid understanding of the material being changed. If the student has not adequately practiced what they are taught, dealing with changes can be difficult.