Rehearsal
Encyclopedia
For other uses, see Rehearsal (disambiguation)
or Dress rehearsal (disambiguation)
A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music
and theatre
(and in other contexts) that is performed before the official public performance
, as a form of practice
, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional presentation.
and stage movement.
A Q-2-Q or cue to cue is a type of technical rehearsal
and is intended primarily for the lighting and sound technicians involved in a performance, although they are of great value to the entire ensemble. It is intended to allow the technicians and stage manager to rehearse the technical aspects of a performance—when lights have to be turned on, sound effects triggered, and items rolled on and off the stage—and identify and resolve glitches. Performers do not typically rehearse entire scenes
during Q-2-Q's, but instead only perform dialogue or actions that are used by the stage manager as a marker for when to initiate technical sequences or cues (hence the title). Abbreviated Q-2-Q's in which only the opening and closing sequences of each act or scene
are performed is sometimes referred to as tops and tails. It is rare for any but the most technically complex performances to have Q-2-Q rehearsals outside of technical week
.
Cue to cues are often preceded by a dry tech, in which the technicians rehearse their cues without the actual performers present at the rehearsal. A dress rehearsal is a rehearsal or series of rehearsals in which the ensemble dresses as they will dress at the performance for the audience. The entire performance will be run from beginning to end, exactly as the real performances will be, including pauses for intermissions. An open dress is a dress rehearsal to which specific individuals have been invited to attend as audience members. They may include patrons (who pay a reduced ticket price), family and friends of the ensemble, or reviewers from the media. The dress rehearsal is often the last set of rehearsals before the concert performance and falls at the end of technical week
. A preview, although technically a performance as there is a full audience; including individuals who have paid for admission, is arguably also a rehearsal in as far as it is not uncommon in complex performances for the production to stop, or even return to an earlier point in the performance if there are unavoidable or unresolvable problems. Audience members typically pay a lower price to attend a preview performance.
In traditional Japanese Noh
theater, performers primarily rehearse separately, only rehearsing together once, a few days before the show. This is to emphasize transience of the show, in the philosophy of "ichi-go ichi-e
", "one chance, one meeting".
s to direct the orchestra to different sections which he or she would like to perform.
For works that present a particular challenge for certain sections (e.g., a complex, exposed passage for the viola section), orchestras may have section rehearsals or sectionals in which a section of the orchestra (e.g., the woodwind players or the double basses) rehearse on their own under the direction of the Principal player in the section, or, in some cases, also with the conductor (e.g., in the case of a very rhythmically-challenging piece).
Prior to rehearsing a concerto
with an orchestra, a soloist will rehearse it with a pianist substituting for the entire orchestra (thus, two pianists in the case of piano concerti). To help with tempo in solo or chamber rehearsals, a metronome
may be used to sound out the tempo prior to the commencement of a piece. For music performances, a dress rehearsal does not imply dressing in performance concert dress. It is merely a final rehearsal before performance where generally the ensemble will run through the entire program as if there is an audience. In some orchestras, there may be a limited audience during the dress rehearsal (typically university music students).
is often rehearsed, particularly where this requires multiple activities to be coordinated and completed within time constraints. Many companies undertook major initiatives to rehearse the changes associated with the Year 2000 problem
and the economic and monetary union of the European Union
.
Rehearsal (disambiguation)
Rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance.Rehearsal can also refer to:*Memory rehearsal is a term for the role of repetition in the retention of memories....
or Dress rehearsal (disambiguation)
Dress rehearsal (disambiguation)
A dress rehearsal is a final rehearsal, in costume, of an artistic work just prior to its first public performance.It may also refer to:*Dress Rehearsal , a BBC television special starring Eric Sykes...
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
(and in other contexts) that is performed before the official public performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
, as a form of practice
Practice (learning method)
Practice is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the phrase "practice makes perfect". Sports teams practice to prepare for actual games. Playing a musical instrument well takes a lot of...
, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional presentation.
In a theatre or opera house
In theatre, a performing arts ensemble rehearses a work in preparation for performance before an audience. Rehearsals that occur early in the production process are sometimes referred to as run-throughs. Typically a run-through does not contain many of the technical aspects of a performance, and is primarily used to assist performers in learning dialogue and to solidify aspects of blockingBlocking (stage)
Blocking is a theatre term which refers to the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. The term derives from the practice of 19th century theatre directors such as Sir W. S...
and stage movement.
A Q-2-Q or cue to cue is a type of technical rehearsal
Technical rehearsal
The technical rehearsal or tech rehearsal is a rehearsal that focuses on the technological aspects of the performance, in theatrical, musical, and filmed entertainment.-Types of tech rehearsals:...
and is intended primarily for the lighting and sound technicians involved in a performance, although they are of great value to the entire ensemble. It is intended to allow the technicians and stage manager to rehearse the technical aspects of a performance—when lights have to be turned on, sound effects triggered, and items rolled on and off the stage—and identify and resolve glitches. Performers do not typically rehearse entire scenes
Scene (film)
In TV and movies, a scene is generally thought of as the action in a single location and continuous time. Due to the ability to edit recorded visual works, it is typically much shorter than a stage play scene....
during Q-2-Q's, but instead only perform dialogue or actions that are used by the stage manager as a marker for when to initiate technical sequences or cues (hence the title). Abbreviated Q-2-Q's in which only the opening and closing sequences of each act or scene
Scene (film)
In TV and movies, a scene is generally thought of as the action in a single location and continuous time. Due to the ability to edit recorded visual works, it is typically much shorter than a stage play scene....
are performed is sometimes referred to as tops and tails. It is rare for any but the most technically complex performances to have Q-2-Q rehearsals outside of technical week
Technical week
Technical week refers to the week prior to the opening night of a play, musical or similar production in which all of the technical elements are present during rehearsal for the first time.Prior to this point, the actors may have been...
.
Cue to cues are often preceded by a dry tech, in which the technicians rehearse their cues without the actual performers present at the rehearsal. A dress rehearsal is a rehearsal or series of rehearsals in which the ensemble dresses as they will dress at the performance for the audience. The entire performance will be run from beginning to end, exactly as the real performances will be, including pauses for intermissions. An open dress is a dress rehearsal to which specific individuals have been invited to attend as audience members. They may include patrons (who pay a reduced ticket price), family and friends of the ensemble, or reviewers from the media. The dress rehearsal is often the last set of rehearsals before the concert performance and falls at the end of technical week
Technical week
Technical week refers to the week prior to the opening night of a play, musical or similar production in which all of the technical elements are present during rehearsal for the first time.Prior to this point, the actors may have been...
. A preview, although technically a performance as there is a full audience; including individuals who have paid for admission, is arguably also a rehearsal in as far as it is not uncommon in complex performances for the production to stop, or even return to an earlier point in the performance if there are unavoidable or unresolvable problems. Audience members typically pay a lower price to attend a preview performance.
In traditional Japanese Noh
Noh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
theater, performers primarily rehearse separately, only rehearsing together once, a few days before the show. This is to emphasize transience of the show, in the philosophy of "ichi-go ichi-e
Ichi-go ichi-e
Ichi-go ichi-e is a Japanese term that describes a cultural concept often linked with famed tea master Sen no Rikyu. The term is often translated as "for this time only," "never again," or "one chance in a lifetime."...
", "one chance, one meeting".
Professional ensembles
A professional orchestra or chamber ensemble rehearses a piece in order to coordinate the rhythmic ensemble and ensure that the pitches of the different sections match. A professional ensemble will typically only rehearse an orchestral work for two or three rehearsals which are held several days before the first performance. A professional ensemble is less likely than an amateur orchestra to play the entire piece. Instead, a professional ensemble will typically review passages which pose challenges for the ensemble from the point of view of rhythmic or harmonic coordination. An example of a passage that might pose rhythmic coordination challenges would be a contemporary work which involved polyrhythms, in which one section of the orchestra plays a rhythm in 4/4 while another section plays a melody written in 5/4. An example of harmonic challenges would be a work in which the orchestra has to perform dissonant, complex harmonies. The conductor calls out bar numbers or rehearsal letterRehearsal letter
A rehearsal letter is a boldface letter of the alphabet in an orchestral score, and its corresponding parts, that provides a convenient spot from which to resume rehearsal after a break. Rehearsal letters are most often used in scores of the Romantic era, beginning with Louis Spohr...
s to direct the orchestra to different sections which he or she would like to perform.
For works that present a particular challenge for certain sections (e.g., a complex, exposed passage for the viola section), orchestras may have section rehearsals or sectionals in which a section of the orchestra (e.g., the woodwind players or the double basses) rehearse on their own under the direction of the Principal player in the section, or, in some cases, also with the conductor (e.g., in the case of a very rhythmically-challenging piece).
Prior to rehearsing a concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
with an orchestra, a soloist will rehearse it with a pianist substituting for the entire orchestra (thus, two pianists in the case of piano concerti). To help with tempo in solo or chamber rehearsals, a metronome
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
may be used to sound out the tempo prior to the commencement of a piece. For music performances, a dress rehearsal does not imply dressing in performance concert dress. It is merely a final rehearsal before performance where generally the ensemble will run through the entire program as if there is an audience. In some orchestras, there may be a limited audience during the dress rehearsal (typically university music students).
Amateur ensembles
Amateur orchestras or chamber ensembles, such as university or community groups rehearse music for a number of reasons. While an amateur ensemble does rehearsals to coordinate the rhythmic ensemble, rehearsals are also held for a number of other reasons. In amateur groups, rehearsals are used by the leader to teach ensemble members about the different playing styles and tones used in music from different eras. As well, orchestra conductors select pieces so that players can learn new skills, such as more complicated rhythms. For an amateur ensemble, the rehearsals are often used to give the players an opportunity to have repeated chances to play difficult passages. Amateur groups are much more likely than professional groups to hold sectional rehearsals. Another difference between rehearsals in an amateur orchestra and a professional orchestra is the number of rehearsals. A community orchestra or university ensemble may have ten or even fifteen rehearsals over several months to prepare a major symphony; a professional orchestra might prepare that same symphony in two rehearsals over two days.In other contexts
The use of rehearsals and dress rehearsals extends beyond the performing arts. When an organization has to learn how to implement a new process, it may rehearse the activity beforehand. Emergency-planning organizations often rehearse their preparations for responding to civil disasters. Armies that are planning an attack on a certain target may create a mock-up of the target and rehearse the attack. The introduction of major changes to complex industrial and technical fields, such as information systemsInformation systems
Information Systems is an academic/professional discipline bridging the business field and the well-defined computer science field that is evolving toward a new scientific area of study...
is often rehearsed, particularly where this requires multiple activities to be coordinated and completed within time constraints. Many companies undertook major initiatives to rehearse the changes associated with the Year 2000 problem
Year 2000 problem
The Year 2000 problem was a problem for both digital and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits.In computer programs, the practice of representing the year with two...
and the economic and monetary union of the European Union
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union
The Economic and Monetary Union is an umbrella term for the group of policies aimed at converging the economies of members of the European Union in three stages so as to allow them to adopt a single currency, the euro. As such, it is largely synonymous with the eurozone.All member states of the...
.
See also
- SitzprobeSitzprobeSitzprobe is a term used in opera and musical theatre to describe a seated rehearsal where the singers sing with the orchestra, focusing attention on integrating the two groups. It is often the first rehearsal where the orchestra and singers rehearse together...
- StagecraftStagecraftStagecraft is a generic term referring to the technical aspects of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes, but is not limited to, constructing and rigging scenery, hanging and focusing of lighting, design and procurement of costumes, makeup, procurement of props, stage management, and...
- Technical rehearsalTechnical rehearsalThe technical rehearsal or tech rehearsal is a rehearsal that focuses on the technological aspects of the performance, in theatrical, musical, and filmed entertainment.-Types of tech rehearsals:...