Repertory theatre
A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation.[1][2]
United Kingdom
From the 1930s to the 1960s, two impresarios dominated the field of British rep, mostly in the North. They were Harry Hanson and his Court players, and Frank H. Fortescue's Famous Players, with the
The practice of repertory ("rep") is still seen in large cities. Actors now have the luxury of at least three weeks of rehearsal, however. Repertory can still be found in the UK in a variation of guises: in Sidmouth (12 plays), Wolverhampton (eight), and Burslem and Taunton (four each). The Sheringham Little Theatre produces an in-house repertory season each summer, running from June until September. Weekly repertory theatre is also produced by the Summer Theatre season at Frinton-on-Sea.
Canada
Organizations in
The Vagabond Repertory Theatre Company was formed in March 2009 by artistic directors Nathaniel Fried and Ryan LaPlante, and currently resides and performs in
State-subsidized theatres on continental Europe have been suggested as the origin of the repertoire tradition.[3] One of the earliest examples of this system is the Moscow Art Theatre circa 1898.[10] An even earlier example are the theatres of Germany.[3] See the Deutsches Theater, a privately owned German theatre founded in 1883 to produce plays in rep.[11] While variations appeared before, the modern repertory system did not become popular until the twentieth century.[5]
United States
In the United States, the repertory system has also found a base to compete with commercial theatre. Many
Repertory theatre with mostly changing casts and longer-running plays, perhaps better classed as "provincial" or "non-profit" theatre, has made a big comeback in cities such as
America's oldest resident repertory theatre, Hedgerow Theatre, is located in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania. It was founded by actor Jasper Deeter in 1923. The present producing artistic director is actress and director Penelope Reed. Other notable repertory theatres include the Guthrie Theater, which was set up as a regional repertory theatre concept that is free from commercial constraints in the choice of repertoire.[14] It is aligned in objectives to the repertory and resident theatre movement that emerged in the United States in the 1960s. This sought to establish an alternative and decentralized theatre network outside of New York, one which would have non-profit-making status and would be focused on the art of the theatre as well as the development of artists, craftsmen, and administrators.[15] Publicly funded theatres that belong to this type have been receiving erratic support since the 1980s.
The
Eastern Europe
In
Rotation Repertory system is still the most commonly used business model of live theatre in Eastern and Central Europe, specifically in countries such as Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
In Germany, Schaubuhne and some other theatres run on a repertory system.
Weekly rep
A combination company was a touring
A similar term, "weekly rep," denotes a British movement started in the early 1900s that focused on shorter runs of a single new work, rather than having several plays ready to perform at any given time.[18][2]
For weekly rep and for a typical three-act play, the actors' week would start on Tuesday, and go as follows:
- Tuesday: notes on previous night's opening of the current play from the director, then a sit-down read-through of the next week's play with some discussion by the director, on-the-feet blocking of the moves for Act I, with a few questions from the actors, followed by the second performance of the current play (which would also occupy every evening up to and including Saturday).
- Wednesday: run Act I of next week's play and start to block Act II, but break early because there would be a matinée of the current play.
- Thursday: finish blocking Act II of next week's play, run Act II and block Act III.
- Friday: run Act III, run through the entire play with no scripts in hand, and technicals – meaning lights and sound – to watch, and write down cues.
- Saturday: run through again, stop and go to test lighting and sound cues; costumes may be used if ready. Two shows today, including a matinée; the evening show closes the current play. After the last show, the set would be struck (taken down) by the crew - usually stage manager.
- Sunday: for actors, an opportunity to brush up on lines and moves, and for private rehearsals. However, for the crew it would mean putting up the new sets, hanging and focusing lights, and setting sound equipment.
- Monday: in the morning, a run-through, usually without costumes (to save wear and tear), mainly for the technicals. In the afternoon: a "Full Perfect" dress rehearsal, maybe with a few friends seated in front to gauge reaction, then copious notes. In the evening, 8 o'clock opening night, followed by notes from the director, visits with friends from the audience and maybe a party nearby. The process would start all over again on Tuesday.
Resident company
Today, repertory theatres employ a wide range of actors, who can play a variety of types.
Before the modern repertory system, acting ensembles were normally made up of the standard stock company and later the touring company.[5] The stock company would usually consist of a leading man and lady, a character actor and actress, younger actors to play romantic roles, and the rest of the actors would be a variety of ages and body types.[5] The acting ensemble was typically around twelve.[5] This was most popular prior to the Restoration.[5] Post Restoration and into the nineteenth century, stock companies remained, but they were joined and then replaced by traveling companies.[5] These ensembles consisted of the stars and actors hired to play a very specific role as a single production toured around.[5]
Examples of rep performers who went on to become well-known are John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier, Rosemary Harris, Christopher Plummer, Harold Pinter, Peter O'Toole, Jeremy Brett, Geraldine McEwan, Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton and Patrick Stewart. Dirk Bogarde wrote about his start at Amersham rep in 1939, and Michael Caine has recounted his time spent at Horsham rep in the early 1950s.
There are many noted Resident companies or repertory companies, such as the Artists Repertory Theatre.
See also
- Combination company
- Community theatre
- Fringe theatre
- Mercury Theatre
- Summer stock theatre
- Stagione
- Theatre festival
- Theatre (structure)(i.e. building)
Footnotes
- ISBN 9780521319195.
- ^ a b "What is Repertory Theatre? | Theatre Royal Windsor | live on stage in Berkshire". theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ a b c d Cameron, Alasdair F. (1983). The repertory theatre movement, 1907-1917 (Ph.D. thesis). University of Warwick.
- ^ "Before the Beatles: The Birth of British Rock". YouTube.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Carter, Huntly (1964). The Theatre of Max Reinhardt. New York: B. Blom. pp. 173–180.
- ISBN 9780521319195.
- ^ Harding, John, Staging Life: The Story of the Manchester Playwrights (Greenwich Exchange 2018) https://greenex.co.uk/
- ^ Murphy, Michelle. "Annie Horniman". History features. BBC Manchester. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
- ^ "About Us". Stratford Festival Official Website. Stratford, Ontario, Canada. 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- )
- ^ "Deutsches Theater". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
- ^ "summer theatre | American theatre". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ a b c d Miller, Stuart (2016-09-26). "The Shows Must Go On: The Trials and Triumphs of Rotating Rep". AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
- ISBN 9781847140012.
- ISBN 0521446546.
- ISBN 0521651794.
- ^ Mitgang, Herbert (26 November 1985). "JUJAMCYN AWARD TO AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ^ Pallardy, Richard. "Repertory theatre". Britannica. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
Murray, Stephen. Taking Our Amusements Seriously. LAP, 2010.