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Dress rehearsal

A great chance to get it just right!

Dress rehearsals are SO important! 

They are a chance to run through the whole performance without an audience. 

This means that you can identify any possible problems ar weaker parts and improve them. 

The head organisers must make sure that they reserve a three hour slot (with the teacher and the school administration) in your timetables and at your the school hall or the local auditorium, or wherever you are going to perform. 

Rutherford Festival IES Valga CC BY NC SA

Things to take into account for your dress rehearsal:

1) Make sure you have everything you need: instruments, technical equipment, costumes and scenery if you have them, etc. And if you are performing outside your school, make sure you have organised the transport to get you there.

2) The head organisers must check that everybody has a list of the order of performances. This means that each student can be certain that he or she is ready in the wings at least by the time of the previous performance. (It is very likely you won't have room for everybody to be in the wings all the time, so it will probably be a good idea to reserve the first two lines of audience seats for you all, and you can quietly slip away to behind the stage when the time comes, and then sit back down again to watch the rest of the festival if you are not needed. The head organisers need to be in the wings all the time). 

3) The head organisers are also probably taking part in some of the numbers. They must be specially aware and organised to be prepared and quick, carrying out their responsibilities in the wings but also being ready to perform when it's their turn. 

4) The technicians must be at their places and must check that everything is working: the computer and projector, the sound, the microphones, the lighting, etc. They must be absolutely certain that they have all the videos and powerpoints, and that they can all be projected. It is also very important that they have a list of the order of performances. 

5) Run through the whole thing once straight through, without repeating any of the performances. The head organisers must time how long the whole thing lasts.

5) Take a 10/15 minute break to relax!

6) Then come back together and go over how it went. You should have time to decide what parts could do with a repetition now, just to improve them. 

YOU WILL BE EXCITED DURING THIS DRESS REHEARSAL

BUT MAKE SURE TO BE ATTENTIVE AND ALERT,

AND DON'T WASTE TIME!

You must enjoy it but you must also make sure you make the most of it to know exactly what you are supposed to be doing and when.

It's your last chance to practice. The next time you perform, you will have an audience!