Another opening another show

Last night was opening night. The show went well.

However, I can't help but wish our schedule allowed or more previews for the cast. It seems so unfair to give the actors 2-4 performances with an audience before opening. We allow them 3-4 weeks for rehearsals. I wish I had more time to give them with the audience. It simply takes more than our limited time for things to settle, for the actors to know what works.

Perhaps I feel so strongly about this because I spent 10 years in New York theatre. When I first started previews were 1 week long for a 4 week run. Now the same theaters do 3 weeks of previews for an 8 week run. Perhaps I feel so strongly about it because I am married to an actor. I know and understand the process intimately.

Traditionally regional theatre has had shorter preview periods and shorter runs. But is that really fair to the production and all the wonderful people who work on it? Of course the reason we open earlier is to get the word about the show out so we can get the audience in. It is really a chicken and egg kind of problem.

This issue is one of the many "traditional rules" by which we produce theatre. If the goal is to produce the best production we are capable of producing - well then frankly most of these rules should be thrown out.

Why is it so much easier to do the wrong thing that everyone has been doing for years, versus striking out on the correct path?