Managing Last-Minute Chaos: How to Stay Organized During Tech Week

You probably have nightmares about it. It’s the bane of many theatre leader’s existence during the show season. It’s a necessary evil. It’s tech week! 

Okay, we’re being a tad dramatic. But there’s no doubt about it, tech week is chaotic. Tying up all your loose ends, ensuring your cast and crew are ready for performances, and selling the last of those tickets can be mighty stressful. However, you can employ a secret weapon that will help you succeed.

No, it’s not a last-minute Broadway megamind, or a magic wand to let you pause time. It’s much simpler: Organization! Indeed, heading into tech week as organized as possible will reap major benefits for your performance, as well as for the mental health of your cast and crew. On The Stage presents just a few ways to cut down the chaos during tech week. 

Staying Organized During Tech Week

Set Clear Priorities

Heading into tech week, ensure you know exactly what your needs are, and secondarily, what your wants are. Meaning, what is absolutely necessary to perfect during this week, and what would be a great (but unnecessary) bonus to the show? 

Additionally, remember that not everything needs to be fixed or improved. You need to focus on what truly matters for opening night. If you enter this week thinking that every scene needs to be fixed or perfected, you’re setting yourself and your team up for failure. 

A few common sense priorities include:

• Ensuring your cast and crew feel prepared for opening night 
• Polishing key scenes, especially ones with the entire cast or scenes that are integral to the plot
• Tightening up or fixing major blocking and choreography issues 
• Nailing quick changes and set changes 
• Confirming your tech crew have their lighting and sound cues down 

In short, ensure the bones of your show are ready to go before focusing on other priorities – like complicating the choreography or reworking a good scene to make it great. Basics first!

Establish a Schedule (And Stick to It)

The backbone of overall organization is a strict schedule. Of all the phases of your show season, tech week is the time to be a stickler about schedules. While it may be tough to keep on task consistently, it should be of utmost importance this week. A few ways to establish and stick to your schedule include:

• Communicating clearly and effectively about your expectations on your tech week schedule, especially in terms of absences/mandatory attendance 
• Showing up on time for every rehearsal to set a good example for everyone else
• Ensuring breaks are the exact amount of time allotted – no more or less 
• Ending rehearsals on time to respect your cast and crew and allowing them to focus on their other commitments – whether those are academic, work-related, or personal 

To put it simply, a well-planned timeline keeps chaos from taking center stage. Make sure you’re holding steady to it. 

Streamline Tech Week Communication

Maybe the weather is looking a little iffy. Perhaps some cast members think tomorrow’s rehearsal is leads-only. Maybe someone else thinks they have the day off and has been sharing that news with the other team members. Nip miscommunication in the bud by streamlining your messaging through a single channel. This way, there is zero chance that a cast or crew member gets confused, spreads misinformation, or misses a vital rehearsal or update they need to know about. 

A few ways to streamline communication include:

• Having a single text chain with all members of your cast and crew included
• Requiring a verbal/technological confirmation from every actor/crew member when an update or rehearsal change is made
• Jumping on an app that all your team can download to post timely updates
• Updating and streamlining your theatre’s website and using it as the main hub of communication 

No matter which route you choose, ensuring your communication with cast and crew is streamlined will avoid any confusion and keep your team exactly where it needs to be: on the same page. 

Prepare for the Unexpected

Remember what we said about organization being the backbone of a great production? This also comes in handy when it comes to preparing for the unexpected.

It’s no secret that during tech week – and heck, even during performances – unexpected tech hiccups happen, no matter how hard you prepare against them. That said, equip your team members with the tools they need to succeed by offering back-up plans in case technical issues arise. A few ways to prepare your team include:

• Teaching your crew how to switch your actors to manual microphones should tech issues cause sound problems 
• Practicing improvisational techniques for your actors in case a tech problem arises, someone forgets a line, or gets hit with stage fright
• Helping your cast and crew remain calm and collected if a malfunction happens, because the worst thing they can do is panic 
• Performing comprehensive equipment checks before rehearsals and performances to ensure (to the best of your ability) nothing goes awry 
• Running your performance through with all technical elements as many times as you can 

Like we said, sometimes mistakes and glitches happen – that’s life. But you can always prepare your cast and crew to handle those mishaps like pros. 

Keep Your Team Energized and Motivated

I know it, you know it, the whole world knows it: Tech week can bring out the worst in us if we aren’t prepared. That said, you should make it priority No. 1 to keep your team energized, motivated, healthy, and happy during tech week to avoid burnout, grouchiness, and less-than-stellar performances. A few ways to keep morale up during tech week include:

• Pushing hydration as often as possible – bonus points for people who bring their own reusable water bottles!
• Ensuring actors are taking care of their bodily health by eating right and taking vitamins/supplements if they’re feeling run-down
• Leading warm-ups and cool-downs to keep the body in tip-top shape
• Encouraging adequate sleep 
• Staying open and honest about mental health challenges so actors and crew members know the warning signs
• Presenting yourself as a safe space for those who may be struggling 
• Scheduling time for relaxation/light-hearted fun during tech week so actors and crew members remember why they love what they do 
• Working diligently to stay positive and present constructive criticism with tact 

Bottom line: A happy, hydrated cast and crew perform at their best. Make sure you’re doing your part to help everyone stay positive. 

Conduct Efficient Dress Rehearsals During Tech Week

The best way to prepare yourself for the ‘real deal’ show is treating your dress rehearsals exactly like those actual shows. Why? If you’ve run through the production that many times with the stakes that high, it will feel easy (and way less pressure) when there’s an actual paying audience! A few ways to run efficient, productive dress rehearsals include: 

• Only stopping a dress rehearsal if absolutely necessary. The last thing you want is your cast and crew getting used to momentum stopping and starting during a production. 
• Saving major and minor notes for intermission so the flow of the show remains consistent 
• Allowing actors and crew members to work through technical glitches and flubbed lines themselves instead of stepping in. Like we said, the best way your team can be prepared is if they troubleshoot problems themselves!

How On The Stage Can Help

Remember: Tech week is temporary, but the standing ovation is forever. That said, if you need a little help in streamlining your tech week efforts – and everything before and after – On The Stage can help. 

On The Stage (OTS) combines a fully integrated suite of tools and resources for theatre and the performing arts with everything needed to control your own operational and financial management, letting you focus on making great art – and mastering the art of the perfect tech week!

Our all-in-one theatre ticketing platform empowers directors, producers, box office managers, and patrons across educational theatre, community theatre, dance and professional arts programs of all sizes, performing arts centers, immersive experiences, and everything in between, all for free!

If you’re ready to take your performances to the next level, partner with On The Stage. Book a personalized demo today.