Working on a Show

For Actors

The acting process at Oxford varies largely depending on the show, the venue, the company, the director; what unites every show is that acting at Oxford is always super fun! Once you’ve auditioned and secured your role, you’ll be added to a cast group chat. This is normally on Facebook or Whatsapp, and your director will introduce everyone. The process begins with a read through, where everyone meets and does the first reading of the play. One of my favourite parts about the rehearsal process in Oxford is that rehearsals often take place in the director’s college, so it’s a great way to see new areas of Oxford! Coordinating lots of cast members is hard, so most directors use When2meet to establish the best rehearsal times. Depending on the week of your play, rehearsals may either be rigorous from the start or more relaxed; inevitably though, the week before show week will be busy! Aim to be off-book with your lines a week before opening night; line-learning can be the trickiest part of the process and you’ll get very used to speed-running with your cast-mates. Before you know it, show week will be upon you. Sunday is your ‘get-in’’, which is when you can start setting up for your play in the venue. Monday and Tuesday are for teching (adding lighting and sound) and your dress run. Plays normally run from Wednesday-Saturday, potentially with a saturday matinee. The whole process is so fun– some of my best weeks at Oxford have been show weeks, and the people I’ve worked with on shows are some of my best friends. Happy acting!

For Crew

For information for working as crew on a show, please check out our sister society OUTTS.