Technical week

Technical week (also called tech week, production week or hell week) refers to the week prior to the opening night of a play, musical or similar production in which all of the technical elements (such as costumes, lights, sound, and makeup) are added.

At this point in the rehearsal process, it is expected that the creative aspects of the production are ready. Actors have their lines memorized; lights, sound, scenery, and costumes have been designed and completely constructed. If the production is a musical, then the orchestra has rehearsed the music completely, and any dancers are prepared with their choreography memorized.

During technical week the various technical elements are added one by one, usually starting with scenery and lights and then progressing to sound, costumes, and hair and makeup (although a director or technical director will sometimes add the various elements in a different order). The last one or two rehearsals of technical week are often dress rehearsals open to the public in which the play is performed completely, sometimes with the audience purchasing discounted tickets.

Rehearsals during technical week can be very lengthy, hence the nickname "hell week." The first few rehearsals are characterized by the frequent stopping and starting of scenes so that the technical crew can practice their necessary duties (such as executing their cues or scene changes correctly). This boredom and the long hours make technical week some actors' least favorite part of the theatrical process, and the technicians' most hectic, as they are forced to do a massive amount of work getting timings and cues correct, usually without having seen the scenes in their entirety.