It’s everything you’ve been working for – you’ve finally landed a role in a play or musical and you are ready to get on stage and perform your heart out. However, there is quite a long road ahead of you before you get to the applause and the glowing reviews. The first day of rehearsals is one of the biggest and it’s important to put your best foot forward again.
The audition was daunting and you worked hard to earn this role. In that sometimes smalls and sometimes big gap between landing the role and starting to rehearse, it’s quite natural for doubt to set in. You can wonder if you really did get the role or if maybe they’ve changed their minds – or worse, they’ll see you in rehearsal and then change their minds.
It’s OK to have those thoughts. However, you have to put in the work between getting cast and starting rehearsals to ensure that you are everything they wanted in a performer and more. Here are some tips:
Do Your Character Work
Just as you prepared for the audition, you have to arrive at rehearsal prepared. You won’t be expected have all the answers now, but you will be expected have at least thought about it. Most directors will love it if you arrive at your first rehearsal with some ideas about your character – who they are, where they’ve come from and what they really want out of life.
You have to use the script to come up with these ideas and find the clues about how your character relates to the other characters and how they relate to yours. Just like you’d study past performance and form when placing the eSports bets NZ has to offer. This is vital information to help you understand character actions and reactions better. All of this can and possibly will change through the rehearsal process, but it is best to arrive with a starting point at least.
Learn The Script
Through doing your character work, you should read the script a number of times. This will get you comfortable with the story as a whole and the rhythm that the characters speak in. It is essential that you know the flow of the story and in particular, how this impacts your character before you step foot in your first rehearsal. You might not all of your words verbatim, and most directors won’t want you to know that yet, but you will at least be aware of what’s coming next as you do table reads or start your blocking.
Dress The Part
You don’t need to have your exact costume on day one, but making sure that you dress sensibly for what you are about to do is vital. Think about your warm ups, if you’ll be dancing in the rehearsal, what shoes you’re wearing and if there is a particular prop that your character specifically needs. These will all help you to be comfortable and slip into character with ease. Many actors find getting the right shoes from day one a must because your character’s walk will be influenced by the shoes you wear.
