Bring It On

The rehearsal process for this show was incredibly short - we had just over two weeks to put the show together before performances. Because of this, lots of preparation for the show happened before rehearsals started: students received scripts in advance and were memorized before rehearsals started, and several videos of choreography and individual vocal parts were sent out to give students a baseline start for learning material. Rehearsals were largely spent blocking, polishing, and choreographing a few larger dance numbers.

A script analysis was completed before the auditions process so that in the months before a two week intensive rehearsal process, design work could be started on the show. Because the rehearsal period for this show was so short, it was important that designers were on the same page as the director before rehearsals started.

Bring it On was the first show I called from a score. For this, I used color coded sticky notes above the score to keep track of each cue (L96 is Light Cue 96), with green being a go cue, yellow being a standby cue called 10-15 seconds before the cue(s) should be called, and pink being a warning cue called about a page before the cue(s) should be called. Because the show featured many beat specific cues, I used Sharpie to draw a line through the beat the cue needed to be called from so it would be exact every night. I also called this show from the booth rather than from backstage to ensure best communication with the lighting and sound board operators and prevent any delay wireless headsets may have caused in calling "go."

Above are two sample pages of my blocking script. I come up with a blocking key for each show and use this to write in the script on the right page of my blocking script, while I use a groundplan printed on the backside of each page on the left of my blocking script to draw in the actors' placement on the stage.

Rehearsal reports were sent out after every rehearsal with updates about what was accomplished each day, and what was still on our To-Do list. These reports were sent to every member of the design team and production staff. This was a great way of staying on the same page throughout the short rehearsal process. Production meetings also happened over lunch every day of the rehearsal process so that the production staff could stay updated. The above report was the last rehearsal report sent out before performances.

The "Who's Where" document served as an organizational document for determining what characters were onstage during different scenes and songs. This was a great and efficient way of breaking down rehearsal pieces and deciding who could rehearse what at different times, allowing us to use several rehearsal spaces and make the most of our rehearsal time.

When putting together a show in present day, it becomes even more important to focus on doing research about the show and the characters. Before the rehearsal process, I did a significant amount of research on the Bring It On musical and movies, as well as on several cheerleading companies and competitions, to share with the cast. Because few cast members had been cheerleaders before, it was a great opportunity to learn some of the cheer lingo and more about competitions.

Because Bring It On is an All State production, several objectives were established for how to take students from across the state and put them into a cohesive production that follows the ideals established by the International Thespian Society.