Rehearsal and Acting Practices Notes

Rehearsal and Acting Practice

• Live stage performance is ephemeral, relying on historical understandings drawn from other media.
• Information about performance in Shakespeare's theaters is scarce, making writings on rehearsal and acting speculative.
• Understanding differences between Shakespeare's theater and modern theater requires breaking assumptions of similarity.
• Tiffany Stern's research suggests limited rehearsal time in Shakespeare's era, similar to amateur performances in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
• A single group rehearsal before the first performance was the professional norm.

Repertory Schedule

• The Elizabethan/Jacobean theater had a demanding repertory schedule, influencing rehearsal practices.
• Henslowe's diary indicates six different plays per week, with a new play every two weeks.
• Actors needed to memorize thirty to forty plays at a time.
• Rehearsals occurred in the mornings, before afternoon performances.
• The concept of a