There are a few things not
clear about your situation, ( when do you start tech, are the sets and constumes finished when you tech. Are the actors ready to go or is the tech period also used for polishing the show) But I do have some general comments about the lighting aspects of Tech week.
IMHO tech week is largely about managing a scarce resource. That being time. Anything you can do prior to walking into the
theatre and writing cues you should do. You need to be just as organized as you can possibly be so that all you have to do at the
tech table is to implement the design that you have worked out. ( Of course the design will morph once you see it on
stage - but you need to start with a
clear vision ). The second thing to remember is you want to support the entire production. If the actors are not solid, the best thing for the show may be to give them more time on
stage to run the show and work on acting instead of doing a walk through or
cue to cue for lighting.
First of all - I don't see you mentioning a
Lighting Designer. It sounds like you don't know what cues you will need when you sit down and start working. I would suggest you start by naming someone as being responsible for the design of the lights. If during
level set someone turns to the director and says 'What do you think we should do here' it is a red flag that something may be terribly wrong.
I do a lot of work in a
venue that is always under-rehearsed, and the scenery is frequently not painted until opening night. Here is my process as a
lighting designer for that
venue ( They do musicals and only musicals. Typically I write my first
cue on Sat, and we open the next Friday. usually 200 - 350 cues.
- I see several run-thrus prior to the tech period.
- I make up a spreadsheet of the cues that I think the show needs. Left column is scene / page number. Next is cue number, then what is happening on stage, then what I want the lights to do. If I have follow spots they are in the next column etc. Before I write my first cue I have completed my cue sheet. It may ( will ) be wrong - but it is my starting point.
- I print up my cue sheet so I have paper copies.
- At paper tech ( not always possible but desired) we review the cues that I am planning, and the SM puts them in the book. Any small changes from the director get noted and teh sheet is revised.
- Before the first tech I write my blackout and shift cues. I build some presets that I think might be useful and either put them on a submaster, or as a cue in the 1000 range.
- I set my first levels with actors on stage during a run thru ( or a work through). We warn them that the lights will be going up and down and to not pay attention. I find it easier to set levels with lots of bodies on stage doing the things that they will be doing instead of two or three bodies that I have to tell where to go and what to do.
- I do not try to write every cue sequentially. Frequently the actors start a scene, and I will be frantically setting up the opening look. By the time I am happy with that they are three cues further on. This is not a problem. Write what you can.
- If you have a musical number, try to get the opening look set at that first run-thru. Set mid points as much as you can.
- For a complex show with dance, take a video camera and record the rehearsal. This can help you the next day.
- Before the next rehearsal - come into the theatre and modify what you wrote. Add your best guess at the cues you need in the dance. ( Since you have been writing some cues, by now you have a better idea of what the rig will do)
- Lather, rinse, and repeat until you are happy, or you run out of time.
- If the set is not complete - or you don't have costumes yet - don't let it stop you. You can rough in levels and tweak them when you have costumes and scenery. Either with actors on stage or not.
This approach is more if an iterative way of working. IE your job on the first day as getting the actors through the show with enough lights blocked in that you can refine them during the rest of the tech week. You expect on each day of tech to make things better. The other approach is to set up a time when you go through the show
cue by
cue and set the look for each
cue once - with the intent of not having to touch the
cue later.
I personally like to iterate. I find I discover things I did not see or envision at the start. If your actors need all the rehearsal they can get or the sets / costumes are not complete - iteration is the only way you will succeed.
So to summarize:
Paperwork - Paperwork - Paperwork. Do it early and keep it organized
Think of the design in an iterative fashion.
Just my 2 cents