I’ve Been Cast, Now What?
Here are a few things you should expect once getting cast in one of our productions!
Rehearsals are 4 nights a week. Typically they are held on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Weeknight rehearsals are usually held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. However, official days and times as well as Sunday rehearsal times are subject to the director’s decision. While we do understand an occasional emergency, if you cannot commit to this amount of time, you may want to reassess auditioning as it is difficult to rehearse without the entire cast present.
Apart from rehearsals, you will have to take some time to practice at home as well, running over lines, choreography, and blocking.
You will have to learn your lines and blocking by the set “off book” day set by your director. We must have time to polish the show before an audience viewing.
While costumes and props are mostly provided by the theatre, you may be asked to bring in some of your own items, especially shoes for certain parts of the show.
Performances are typically on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for three weeks. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday performances are a matinee at 3:00 p.m. These days and times do tend to change slightly when it comes to shows for our performers 18 and under. Call times for performances are 1.5 hours before the show starts. We do not cast understudies; therefore, you must be available for all performance days.
All cast and crew will receive two complimentary tickets. These tickets can be used for anyone of your choosing but must be used on the first Friday or Saturday of the show run.
We want you to have a fun time while performing with The Island Players and we also aim to put on a great and entertaining show at the end of the rehearsal period. Together with these few tips we can do both!
Some Lingo You Should Know!
Blackout: A lighting term which means switching all lights out at once, leaving the stage in complete darkness.
Blocking: The setting of the actors' positions and moves at the beginning of rehearsals.
Box Office: The place where the tickets are sold.
Call: Generally, some sort of instruction to the company: a rehearsal call is an instruction to attend a rehearsal at a particular time. Time calls are also given before and during each performance. Please note that time calls are how long before the show or scene actually starts. In other words, the 30 minute call is given 30 minutes before.
Cast: The list of characters in a play and the actors who play them.
Cheat: To make an action on stage look realistic while still facing your body to the audience.
Cue: The point at which an actor must enter or speak. Also used for lighting and sound entrances.
Curtain Call: Taking a bow in front of the audience at the end of a show.
Downstage: Towards the audience.
House: The area in which the audience is seated.
Notes: At the end of each rehearsal, the director will give his notes, which are his comments on the performance.
Off Book: When an actor has all lines memorized and no longer needs to read from the script.
Props: Physical items an actor uses during a performance.
Set: The scenery for a particular show or individual scene.
Stage Left: The left side of the stage when looking toward the audience.
Stage Right: The right side of the stage when looking toward the audience.
Upstage: At the back of the stage; away from the audience. As a verb: when one actor deliberately draws the attention of the audience to himself for purely selfish purposes.
Wings: The sides of the stage, out of sight of the audience.