Repertory or rep, called stock in the U.S., is a term from Western theatre. A repertory theater can be a theater in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation. In the British system, however, it used to be that even quite small towns would support a rep, and the resident company would present a different play every week, either a revival from the full range of classics or, if given the chance, a new play the rights for which were recently released after a West End or Broadway run. The companies were not known for trying out untried new work, however. The methods, now seldom seen, would be also used in The United States, Canada, and Australasia. Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... In theatre, a repertoire system can operate when a theatre has many plays (or musicals, ballets, operas, etc. ... West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in... Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ...

The resident company

The acting company would consist of a "leading lady", a "leading man", a "juvenile", both male and female (ingenue) for the young often romantic roles, a "character" actor and actress (for the older parts) and perhaps a "soubrette". A "guest star" name might be brought in to boost attendance which only might cover the added cost. Hence the resident cast would number 7, plus the resident director, usually doubling as the artistic director in charge of the whole enterprise, and in addition there would be the stage director, the "ASM" (assistant stage manager), some (unpaid) apprentices, and lights and sound technicians. Newcomers to the profession would often start their careers in this fashion, and members would not only gain a foundation upon which to base a career, but, apart from the apprentices who might even pay for the experience, also be sure of a steady income for one or more "seasons". The season might last for 6 months, basically because the schedule was exhausting, both mentally and physically. Examples of performers who went on to universal recognition are Jeremy Brett, Judi Dench, Rosemary Harris, Ian McKellen, Christopher Plummer, Harold Pinter, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Redgrave, Patrick Stewart, Geraldine McEwan, Ronnie Barker, and Dirk Bogarde, who wrote about his start at tiny Amersham rep in 1939, to present just a few. Mary Pickford, a perpetual ingenue The Ingenue is a stock character in literature and film and a role type in the theatre, generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent. ... Soubrette is a term to describe a leggiero soprano in classical music. ... Peter Jeremy William Huggins (November 3, 1933 – September 12, 1995), better known as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor famous for his portrayal of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the British television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. ... Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA, (born 9 December 1934), usually known as Dame Judi Dench, is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Tony, three-time BAFTA, and six-time Laurence Olivier Award-winning English actress. ... Rosemary Harris (born September 19, 1930[1] in Ashby, Suffolk, England) is an Academy Award nominated English actress and a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame. ... Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CBE (born May 25, 1939) is a veteran English stage and screen actor, the recipient of a Tony Award and two Oscar nominations. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Harold Pinter, CH, CBE (born 10 October 1930) is an English playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist, best known for his plays The Birthday Party (1957), The Caretaker (1959), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978), and also for his screenplay adaptations of novels by others, such as... Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton OBE (born on January 9, 1956) is an Academy Award-nominated English actress. ... Lynn Rachel Redgrave OBE (born 8 March 1943 in London) is an English actress born into the famous acting Redgrave family. ... Patrick Stewart OBE (born July 13, 1940) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated English film, television and stage actor. ... Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown on May 9, 1932, in Old Windsor, Berkshire, England), is a British actress (of Irish extraction) with a diverse and successful history in film, theatre and television spanning 55 years. ... Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker OBE (September 25, 1929 – October 3, 2005), popularly known as Ronnie Barker and (as a writer) Gerald Wiley , was an English comic actor and writer. ... Sir Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde (28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999), better known by his stage name Dirk Bogarde, was an actor and author. ... Amersham (previously Agmondesham) is a market town 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills, England. ...

The weekly rehearsal schedule

For weekly rep, which is the true test, and for a typical 3 act play with a wise director, the actors' week would start Tuesday and go as follows: Tuesday: Notes on last night's opening from the director, then a sitdown readthrough of the next play with some discussion by the director, on-the-feet blocking of the moves for Act I with few questions from the actors - no time - and don't forget there are performances of last week's play each night. Wednesday: Run Act I (better have learned the lines last night after the show, scripts in hand disfavored) and start to block Act II, but break early because there's a matinée. Thursday: Finish blocking Act II, run Act II, and block Act III. Friday: Run Act III, runthrough of entire play, no scripts in hand and technicals, meaning lights and sound, to watch and write down cues. Saturday: Runthrough again, stop and go to test lighting and sound cues, may use costumes if ready, mistakes tolerated. 2 shows today, the evening one closing the current play. After the show, the set will be struck (taken down) by the crew, usually apprentices, and the stage manager. Look up block in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Dark of the Matinée, also known simply as Matinée, is a song by British indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. ...

Sunday, a glorious day of rest for the cast, says management and most actors' unions, but in reality brushing up on lines and moves and private rehearsals. But for the crew it means putting up the new sets, and hanging and pointing lights, and setting sound equipment. Monday: Morning, runthrough, no costumes usually (save wear and tear), mainly for the tech folks. Afternoon, "Full Perfect" (says the director and management) Dress Rehearsal, maybe a few friends in front to gauge reaction, then copious notes. Evening, 8 o'clock Opening Night, excitement, nerves, and press critics in front! Followed by notes from the director, visits with friends from the audience (always welcome), and maybe a party nearby. Then collapse in sheer exhaustion. Followed by Tuesday . . .

Audience and management

From the audience's point of view, local communities would become fans and champion their favorites who would be treated as celebrities. And sometimes entire families would make a visit to their local rep as part of the weekly routine like going to church, and for the young ones, it became a part of their future appreciation for live "legitimate" theatre. For the 1998 movie, see Celebrity (1998 movie). ...

During the forties, fifties and sixties, 2 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. Their system was the toughest of all, for if you joined one of their companies, it could mean "twice-nightly" shows, and a new play to learn every week. That cannot happen any more, due to the restrictions of British Equity which came to mandate just 8 shows a week, including perhaps 2 matinées. Fortescue, who died in 1957, was known to be a strict and upright man. When Pygmalion was playing at one of his theatres, because Eliza says "Not bloody likely!", "FOR ADULTS ONLY!" would be posted in the front of house. Or perhaps he was afraid of the Lord Chamberlain, Her Majesty's official censor whose duties were abolished in 1968. The British Actors Equity Association (now called Equity) is the British actors trade union. ... In theatre and live music venues, Front of house (or FOH) refers to areas of the building that the audience has access to, generally excluding stage and backstage areas, and including the auditorium and foyer. ... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State. ... For omission and secrecy, see censorship. ...

Today's practice - UK

Times have changed, the practice of a new play every week and a week's rehearsal doesn't happen, and today the practice of "rep" is more likely to be seen in large cities in the manner applied by such well-known established companies as Birmingham Rep in the midlands of England which states in its programs: ""The REP" presents a season with each play generally having an unbroken run of between three and six weeks. This is the form of repertory theatre that the majority of theatres like The REP — which are also called producing theatres — now follow." Actors have the luxury of at least 3 weeks of rehearsal, and audiences see better shows. Repertory can still be found in the UK in a variation of the old time manner, for example the producer Charles Vance still produces weekly rep in Sidmouth (12 plays), Wolverhampton (8 plays), Burslem and Taunton (4 each). The one Equity standard company left producing Weekly Repertory theatre is the semi-legendary Summer Theatre season at Frinton-on-Sea, produced by Ed Max. This season has been running for sixty-six years now, and until recently maintained its links with the oldest traditions of British commercial theatre by being run by the actor Jack Watling, his son Giles and most recently, his son-in-law Seymour Matthews. Frinton saw the early launch of actors such as Michael Dennison, Vanessa Redgrave, David Suchet, Jack Klaff, Neil Dudgeon, Owen Teale, Lynda Bellingham, and continues to give first jobs to graduating drama students. Birmingham Rep (formerly Birmingham Repertory Theatre) is a theatre in Birmingham, England. ... Location within the British Isles Sidmouth Arms of Sidmouth Town Council Sidmouth is a small town of 14,400 on the east Devon coast in south west England about 15 miles south east of Exeter. ... Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. ... The town of Burslem known as the Mother Town is one of those that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England. ... Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. ...

USA and Canada

In America, the repertory system has also found a base to compete with commercial theatre. Repertory theatre with mostly changing casts and longer running plays, perhaps better classed as "provincial" or "non-profit" theatre, has made a big come-back, in cities such as Washington, DC, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle. Festival theatre now provides actors with work in the summer. Canada too has its repertory/non-profits, their crowning achievement being the world-renowned Stratford Festival of Canada, but has had to contend with the tendency of Canadian actors to head South for greener pastures. Their old English-style repertory theatres such as Ottawa's CRT (Canadian Repertory Theatre), and Toronto's Crest Theatre don't exist any more. Although they did have a version of summer theatre in smaller holiday districts, such as the "Straw Hat" players of Gravenhurst and Port Carling at Ontario's vacation Muskoka Lakes area. Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... This article is about the city in Minnesota. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... NY redirects here. ... Houston redirects here. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... Theatre festivals are amongst the earliest types of festival. ... The Festival Theatre The Stratford Festival of Canada is a summer-long celebration of theatre held each year in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. ... Summer Stock is also the title of a 1950 musical motion picture starring Judy Garland. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area [1] Ranked... The Township of Muskoka Lakes is an area municipality of the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. ...

Other

Not to be overlooked is a form of touring repertory theatre known as "bus and truck", which involves transporting the actors and sets for about five different plays which can be performed in smaller communities on consecutive nights.

In Russia and much of Eastern Europe repertory theatre is based on the idea that each company maintains a number of productions which are performed on a rotating basis. Each production’s life span is determined by its success with the audience. However, many productions remain in repertory for years as this approach presents each piece a few times in a given season, not enough to exhaust the potential audience pool. After the fall of the Soviet regime and the substantial diminution of government subsidy, the repertory practice has required reexamination. Moscow Art Theatre and Lev Dodin’s Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg are the world’s most notable practitioners of this approach. Map of Eastern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow, Russia, founded in 1897 by Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. ... Lev Dodin Lev Abramovich Dodin (Russian: , born 1944) is one of the finest modern Russian theater directors, the leader of Saint Petersburg Maly Drama Theater. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and...

See also

• Repertoire (theatre)
• Stock company (acting)
• Summer stock theatre
• Theatre festival
• Fringe theatre
• community theatre
• Theatre (structure)

In theatre, a repertoire system can operate when a theatre has many plays (or musicals, ballets, operas, etc. ... A stock company, when referring to acting, is a group of actors who regularly act together, for example employed by the one theatre, who perform a set repertoire of stock plays. ... Summer Stock is also the title of a 1950 musical motion picture starring Judy Garland. ... Theatre festivals are amongst the earliest types of festival. ... Fringe theatre is a term used to describe alternative theatre, or entertainment not of the mainstream. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be given. ...

External links

• British Library Theatre Archive Project - actors tell their stories
• Birmingham REP
• San Jose REP
• San Diego REP