Practice Makes Perfect, so where do we have practice?

Help my living room is too small!

Space for holding auditions and rehearsals can sometimes be hard to come by. Here are three great ideas to help you get your group started!

1. Cast and crew! I know it sounds like a cliché to say, We have a barn lets put on a show! However if someone in your group has a space big enough to suit your needs offer them extra comp tickets in exchange for the use of their space. Or better yet barter with them for an ad for their business. Whatever you do make sure you treat their space with respect and clean up after yourself.

2. Free public spaces! Churches, schools and other theatres frequently have space that is under utilized. Other public institutions such as libraries and museums have spaces that are not used at all! I know of one acting teacher here in our town who hosts all of her workshops out of a meeting room at the public library. Call around and see if there might be a space available. Make sure you give them accurate schedule information and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Make sure they know exactly what you will be using the space for, Pyrotechnics! What? Also, don’t necessarily jump on the first space you find, even free stuff should fit your needs for it to be of benefit.

3. If you have a little money but don’t need a permanent home quite yet, try renting a room. Most hotels and conference centers will rent rooms on a nightly basis. Again make sure you give them all of the details and ask important questions like, will there be open restrooms? If possible find one spot to rent for all of your scheduled rehearsals. Don’t be afraid to ask if they give discounts to any category your group belongs to. (ie non-profit, religious, educational, Coal mining Romanian Dwarves) or trade advertising for space! I once traded set design with a local college for theatre space and saved my company almost three thousand dollars and got myself two university design credits to boot!Other places that might have rooms for rent include the spaces mentioned in suggestion 2 and vocational technical centers and colleges. Always ask if the space can be used for free, it never hurts to try.