The Daily Call is sent out every night before rehearsal. It is a breakdown so that the actors know when they're called and what they will be doing. You must communicate with the director to see what their goals are for the day, and then break down the schedule in the most efficient way possible.
You must assign time for sign-in, warmups, a 2 minute break after warmups, centering if needed, the work itself, and necessary breaks throughout the rehearsal. The timing depends on the type of rehearsal (Music, Choreo, Blocking, or Run) and how many breaks the director wants to take.
You will quickly get a feel for how long the director needs for each type of rehearsal. Allocate a reasonable amount of time for each scene, song, or whatever is being worked at the beginning, and then adjust as you get used to the director's style. There is no immediate right answer, but you will start to recognize how long they need to block a scene. And feel free to ask them if you want some guidance!
Make it your own! Don't just follow some template. Like all paperwork, you want the daily to be something that is uniquely YOUR style.
Make it pretty! Typos, random fonts, and overall sloppiness makes you look unprofessional.
Building the daily can be assigned of an ASM or PA––but make sure you establish your template.
There are many different ways to decide when to take breaks. Make sure you communicate with your director if they have a specific policy.
Remember, if groups of actors have been sitting in the house, they don't need a break––and don't call a break without checking with the director! Although your responsibility is to call breaks and bring actors back from them, the director gets final say. Just warn them when a break is coming up.
Some strategies for deciding when to take a break could be:
a 5 min break every hour
a 10 min break every 90 minutes
5 min brain breaks between songs or numbers
Whenever the director, music director, or choreographer looks stressed and needs a pause!
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