Why have a vastly abbreviated rehearsal at the end of the normally scheduled time, when everyone is tired?
Our school’s Variety Show was tonight – a fantastic showcase of student talent, produced by two friends and colleagues, as a fundraiser for our theater department. It included two performers from my group, and an additional member designing and running the lights. It overlapped precisely with the start of our weekly evening rehearsal.
I faced three options:
- Cancel the rehearsal.
- Reschedule the rehearsal.
- Hold the rehearsal after the end of the show.
In the end, cancelling felt inappropriate – we have a big performance next week, and many more coming up behind it. Rescheduling was impossible with busy high schooler schedules. That left #3 – rehearsal followed the Variety Show. I let them know I would give a downbeat 10 minutes after the lights went up.
In the end, that meant we rehearsed from 8:20-9:00. The most tired part of their days, and mine.
But it gave us the chance to be together in the same room. It provided an opportunity to be together more than once in a week. And it motivated many of the students to go to the Variety Show to support their friends.
The rehearsal wasn’t our most productive. But we sang together. We laughed together. And we supported each other. Sometimes that’s enough.
It’s more than enough.