Typical Weekly
Rehearsal Schedule

Courtesy of Art Frank, Musical Director

The typical work-week for the resident company was quite fixed based on Actors' Equity contract terms. The actors' week was limited to 48 hours and had to include one night off and one day off. Since "call" (the time that the actors had to sign in with the stage manager before a show) was always 30 min. before curtain, all shows could run only two and a half hours at most including intermission. This made a total of 3 hours per performance X 8 shows per week = 24 hours of the company's 48 hr. limit. This left only 24 hours of rehearsal time for a new show. (Sinjin was a bear about NEVER paying ANY overtime to actors or musicians.)
Wednesday
8 hour day
2 hrs. of rehearsal on Wed. morning for a new show (after opening the latest show the night before).
6 hrs. for the Wed. matinee show and evening show.
Thursday
8 hour day
5 hrs. of rehearsal
3 hrs. for the evening show.
Friday
8 hour day
5 hrs. of rehearsal
3 hrs. for the evening show.
Saturday
8 hour day
2 hrs. of rehearsal which was usually devoted to the director for spoken parts since we didn't want to blow the voices and legs before the 2 shows coming that eve.
6 hrs. for the 6:P.M. early (cut) show, and a late show starting at 9:00 P.M.
Sunday
8 hour day
Sunday morning was a late start (12 noon) rehearsal because the actors, by contract, had to have 12 hours off after a show BEFORE "call" for the next rehearsal. We had 5 hrs. to rehearse that day.
Monday
8 hour day
By Monday, the Musical Director and Choreographer's work with the company was long done. No chance for changes. Monday morning from 9 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. was a slow run of the show (with stops) and was usually the first time all sets and props were ready. Lunch break was 12:30 to 1:30. At 1:30, half-hour call started. Then an hour was devoted to a "costume parade" call in which actors wore their costumes and any special make-ups and/or wigs etc. on the stage so they could be examined with the lights on. This was the actors' only chance to try costumes and for the seamstress to see what adjustments had to be made. 3:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. was the dress rehearsal (piano only) followed by "notes" from the director.

The one evening off was always Monday and that is when Sinjin featured his jazz nights and other specials.
Tuesday
8 hour day
The day off (believe it or not) for the company was TUESDAY with opening night THAT EVE!
Wednesday
8 hour day
Start the process all over again.

So, if the reader has been counting, there goes the 23 hours of rehearsals available from the resident company! How much time was there to actually teach the music of the show to the resident company singers and dancers?

This will be shocking—2 hours on Wed. morning, and a review of the music on Thursday morning for 1 hour. After that, the singers and dancers of the company were "turned over" to the choreographer while I worked with the principals on their music. That was all completed by Thursday morning.

The principals were instructed to come to the rehearsal week WITH THEIR MUSIC LEARNED and all I had to do was make adjustments of style and nuances with them. This usually worked alright EXCEPT when a particular principal was engaged to play two shows in a row. (They usually were prepared with the first show's music but seldom the second. We had to scrounge 20 minutes here and there to fit in those coaching/learning sessions.)

What about the orchestra? When did THEY get to rehearse? Only 4 hours for each show on the morning the show opened. The orchestra and chorus NEVER rehearsed together (per Equity hours and no overtime allowed) and depended on my ears to imagine the combined sound and thus make it "work" on opening night. Yes, it was often a "fingers-crossed-heart-in-my-mouth" opening night.

For the Musical Director it was not just a 48 hour week. Their were meetings with the Director and Choreographer, extra rehearsals with principals, making all the adjustments in the orchestral books and studying the NEXT show AFTER the one in rehearsal during the day. Yes, I had THREE scores in my head at one time: the one playing at night, the one in rehearsal during the day, and the next one coming up which went into rehearsal the morning after opening! It was probably a 70 hour work-week for me. I do NOT think I could handle that work schedule now!