GET-INS / PREVIEWS>>

Most theatre companies undertake their rehearsals at home - arriving in Edinburgh just days before the first night of their production ready for a dress rehearsal. This is very advisable because with 1200 shows all about to go into production, and every large room in Edinburgh being converted into a venue, rehearsal spaces are few and far between. If you are planning on arriving in Edinburgh more than a few days before your get in you should still have your show at a performance stage before you leave home - and prepare your actors to return to the piece after a break of a week or more.

All venues will give you a 'get-in' time. Each venue will have a named contact who you need to arrange your get-in time with. If you are performing from the day your venue opens this get in time will often be at the same time as your performance slot on the two days before your first night - if you are 'getting-in' after a venue is already open to the public be prepared for your get-in time to be in the middle of the night!

Get-in time is of a premium, so you're lucky if you get double your performance time. In your get-in you will need to practice putting up your set, liaise with venue management regarding set storage and tech (focusing lights etc), and work out the logistics of staging your show in your actual performance space. Try to be prepared because that time slips by very quickly and you're going to have to be quick if you want to get a tech and dress run in.

It's not unusual for the first night performance to be the first real run through a company has done in their performance space. Some of the larger venues bill the first few performances (up to three) as 'previews'. They will normally have a cheaper ticket price and, crucially, press will not be let in. If you are worried about your first couple of performances, barring press may be worthwhile - though bear in mind if you can get press in to your show in week zero you are much more likely to get a review publishing before the backlog begins, do sometimes letting press in on day one can be good for ticket sales.