Rehearsal - Acting Thesis

Thesis productions will be provided studio rehearsal space at Nash and Lenfest Center for the Arts. The Production Manager will reserve all studio spaces for rehearsals, upon approval of the rehearsal schedule.

 

Overview

The Production Manager will reserve all studio spaces for rehearsals, upon approval of the rehearsal schedule.

All Columbia University holidays are observed during the rehearsal and performance process. Please plan accordingly around these dates, which included but not limited to, Labor Day, Election Day, Thanksgiving and the Friday following, Christmas, New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4th

For the 2026-27 academic year, all Theatre Department spaces will be closed November 26 - 29 and December 23 - January 1. 

The 2027 Spring Recess will be from 3/15-3/21. Students may not be required to attend rehearsals during this week. If a production wishes to schedule rehearsals over spring recess, it must be approved by Production Management.

The Production Stage Manager and Director will collaborate to create the rehearsal schedule following the below guidelines:

  • Pre-schedule designer runs into the production calendar (even if tentative).
  • Rehearsal begins 6 weeks before opening night.
  • There is a maximum of 153 total rehearsal hours for an acting thesis, including tech and dress rehearsals.
  • The maximum weekly rehearsal time before tech begins is 28 hours/week. In the week that includes the two 8 of 10 tech rehearsals, a maximum of 33 hours is allowed.
  • For the purposes of scheduling rehearsals and performances, weeks shall be counted starting on Monday and ending on Sunday.
  • Pre-tech rehearsals may not exceed 6 hours per rehearsal day.
  • The rehearsal day shall begin with the individual's first call of day. There shall be one full hour meal/rest break, after a maximum of five hours in said day.
  • Rehearsal breaks shall be for 5 minutes after 55 minutes of rehearsal and/or 10 minutes after 80 minutes of rehearsal.
  • There must be a 12-hour rest period between the end of rehearsal or performance on one day and the start of rehearsals or performances on the next day.
  • There will be one full day (24-hour period) off after every 6 days of rehearsal or performance.
  • On the day of the first public performance, rehearsals shall end at least one hour prior to the half-hour call time. The combined time for both rehearsal and performance on this day may not exceed 8 hours.
  • For on-stage rehearsals that are scheduled the same day that a scenic, electrics, or paint call is also happening in the theatre, the earliest time rehearsal can begin is 6pm. This is to allow the production team time to make sure the theatre is safe after the work is done in the space.
  • As a matter of practicality, rehearsals that are requested to take place before 5pm on weekdays compete with classes for space, meaning that those requests can be very difficult to accommodate. It is strongly recommended that rehearsals are planned to start after 5pm Monday- Friday until the production moves to Lenfest.  Please note that students are not allowed to miss class for rehearsals.
  • Thesis productions have priority for one rehearsal studio, but are not guaranteed a second simultaneous space unless one is available after all other requests have been honored.
  • Please see the Rehearsal Spaces section below for specific information about availability and policies for the various rehearsal studios.

Shows Involving Blood, SFX, or Quick Changes

Shows with blood, special effects, or quick changes should schedule a portion of their time on the Tuesday or Wednesday immediately prior to tech beginning to test these effects/changes with the Production staff. A brief time spent earlier on these moments saves an enormous amount of time during tech rehearsals. Since every show is unique, please coordinate with the Production Staff as to the most efficient time to look at these. 

Inclement Weather Policy

If inclement weather occurs during/prior to a rehearsal or performance, please stay in close communication with the Production Manager/Director of Production about the status of any building closures. Final approval for any alteration of schedule is with the Production Manager/Director of Production.

The following should be accomplished either before or during the first rehearsal:

  • Emergency Contact Info collected, Photo Release Forms, and Nudity Release Forms (if applicable)
  • All available cast members to be measured. Please have actors wear proper undergarments. No sports bras or shapewear. If a cast member usually wears a bra, they need to wear it for their measurement session.

Designer runs should be scheduled by the production, preferably as part of the original production calendar. 

At least one week prior to tech rehearsal beginning, the run time for the entire run, or each act, should be submitted to the entire production team.

Tech rehearsals may not exceed 8 hours of actor’s time.

The first 15-20 minutes of the 1st Technical Rehearsal will include:

  • Safety Protocols & Walkthrough- everyone must be present.
  • Introduction of 1st Year production crew to Stage Managers, Director, and Designers by Columbia staff.
  • Introduction of Director, Cast, & Crew by Columbia staff.

The Saturday and Sunday tech rehearsals before opening weekend are standardized into the following:

  • 11am-11:30am: Stage Management ONLY- no crew, no actors
  • 11:30am-12pm: Setup (Crew Call)
  • 12pm-4pm: Actors called & Tech
  • 4pm-6pm: Meal Break (Crew Notes Session)
  • 6pm-10pm: Actors called & Tech
  • 10pm-10:30pm: Production meeting & cleanup
  • 10:30pm: Everyone out of the building

No current student may be called to rehearsal prior to 6pm on weekdays. This includes student actors, 1st Year crew members, and ASMs.

Columbia will provide a photographer who will be present at the final dress rehearsal to photograph the run. 

Directors are permitted to invite guests to attend the final dress rehearsal with the following guidelines:

  • A maximum of 10 non-faculty/creative collaborators may be invited
  • A finalized list of those individuals who will be attending must be provided to Production Management by 5pm the day prior to the invited dress.
  • A member of the production’s team will need to be the on-site point of contact for all guests, meeting them in the lobby and taking them up to the theatre. Lenfest does not provide Front of House staff during dress rehearsals.

Any staged fight choreography (including, but not limited to slaps, kicks, punches, hair pulls, faints, falls, trips, or any use of weapons) will require participation of a qualified fight captain/choreographer/director to be staged safely for all Performers

There must be a fight call rehearsal with all Performers involved, including the Stage Manager and Fight Captain, prior to the half-hour call of each performance. 

An intimacy call rehearsal must be held for all Performers involved, including the Stage Manager and/or Intimacy Director prior to the half-hour call of each performance.

General Rehearsal Space Guidelines

  • The rehearsal room will be unlocked 60 min prior to the scheduled rehearsal start time for stage management setup, whenever possible.
  • The rehearsal room will be locked promptly 30 min after the scheduled end time.
  • All rehearsal space rules must be followed.
  • No cleaning solutions may be used on the marley dance floors. Water only.
  • It is the stage manager’s responsibility to restore the rehearsal space to neutral at the end of the rehearsal period (except for BG2 which can remain setup between rehearsals).
  • Alcohol is not permitted in any rehearsal/performance spaces.

 

BG2 Lenfest Building: 615 W. 129th Street

  • Rehearsal Hours are 9am* - 10:45pm Tuesday - Sunday for pre-1st Tech rehearsals. BG2 is not available for rehearsals on Mondays. Rehearsals with start times prior to 5pm on weekdays require special approval in order to ensure that they can be properly staffed.
  • Everyone will need to check in with security with proper ID in the main lobby.
  • BG2 can be found on the floor labeled C, which can be accessed via the elevator or the stairs in the main lobby.
  • There is a hired Lenfest Technical Supervisor to oversee all rehearsals and performances.
    • The Technical Supervisor will be there to open/unlock and close/lock the rehearsal room/theater at the end of the day.
    • They will also be there to help answer any questions the production may have and deal with any in-the-moment needs.
    • They are the final say on all decisions regarding the building while the production is in the space.
    • The Technical Supervisors will be on the distro for all daily calls and reports to help increase this line of communication.
    • The Technical Supervisor on duty each day will have their contact information posted on the white board in BG2 and in the theater shop.
  • The rehearsal room contains basic rehearsal furniture, prop storage, sound system, mini-refrigerator, and bulletin boards. A ground plan and full list of rehearsal furniture that lives in BG2 can be found here: Lenfest BG2 Inventory & Groundplan.
  • The Technical Supervisor has access to printers on the 2nd and 7th floors and can assist stage managers with printing.  Stage Managers will also have access to the printer on the 2nd floor.  If a Stage Manager is having trouble with access please contact the Thesis Production Manager.
  • There is a water fountain and restrooms available on the C level.
  • There is a breakroom through the double doors past the restroom (room C-14) which is available for use by everyone in rehearsal.  Please note this is a shared space with the rest of the building including public safety, facilities staff, and building staff.  Rules for the breakroom are posted on the door and can be found here.  Please note that the breakroom door must remain open at all times and rehearsal cannot happen in the break room.
  • We are not able to provide shows with their own key to BG2 or the Theatre, though CU student IDs will be given swipe access to the theater.
  • Unless otherwise noted, the acting theses are scheduled to have the exclusive use of BG2 while they are rehearsing there. This means that the room may be left set up for your rehearsals as long as fire exits are not blocked..
  • Hallways may not be used for additional rehearsal on any floor in Lenfest

 

Nash Building: 3280 Broadway, 5th Floor

  • Rehearsal Hours are 6pm - 9:45pm on weekdays, 10am - 9:45pm on weekends (note that on weekends, the building opens at 10am)
  • In some cases, it may be possible to schedule rehearsals prior to 6pm, though class schedules take priority and usually preclude weekday rehearsals from starting earlier.
  • Nash 1 specifically is not available on some evenings during the academic year, to allow for directing classes to rehearse the day before their classroom presentations in the studio. For the 2025 Fall semester, those evenings are Sundays from 6pm - 9:45pm, and Mondays 6pm - 9:45pm. Other studios in Nash are available at those times.

 

Riverside Church Tower: 91 Claremont Ave. (between 120th and 122nd Streets)

  • Hours for 12T and 15T: Monday-Saturdays 8AM-11:59PM, Sundays 6PM-11:59PM
  • Hours for 13T: 6PM-11:59PM each day.
  • Please note that both the Theatre and Film programs regularly use these spaces to hold classes. As such, please confirm with production management the specific availability for any requested rehearsals at Riverside.
  • Though these spaces have been procured to support the Theatre Program, we are the guests of Riverside Church and should always act accordingly.

 

Basic drafting of the Nash Studios and Lenfest BG2 can be found here: Rehearsal Spaces.