The Drama Teacher's Tech Week Survival Guide

Tech week, also known as heck week, oreven the other word for "heck" (wink) is infamous for a reason.

I have vivid memories of being a student during those weeks: staying up late, struggling to get homework done, and feeling absolutely exhausted. As a director, it’s even more intense. You are the last one in the building every night, and every little issue that comes up ultimately lands on your shoulders.

So how do we survive tech week without it causing total stress and strain?

It’s hard because this is the final stretch before the show. It’s the last chance to get everything ready for that magical performance you’ve worked toward for weeks or even months. But especially in educational theatre, it’s important to remember that we are running a human program.

Our students still have homework, still need to sleep, and still need to function as students. Teenagers ideally get about eight hours of sleep a night, and we know that’s not always happening—but we can at least try to support them. When we make tech week manageable for them, it becomes more manageable for us too.

Over the years, I’ve refined my approach to tech week so that it’s structured, humane, and efficient. Here’s how I make it work.

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1. Prepare Well in Advance

Start planning before tech week even begins. Think through every element that needs to happen for it to run smoothly, and organize it logically.

For me, that starts with at least one rehearsal the week before tech week devoted solely to the tech crew—lights, sound, and the stage crew who move set pieces. If you have actors who move scenery, include them too. The goal of this rehearsal is to run and refine transitions.

Transitions are what slow us down the most during actual tech and dress rehearsals. When you’re stopping every few minutes to figure out a scene change, the pace drags, students get chatty, and the rehearsal loses focus. A separate rehearsal (or two, if needed) just for transitions and cues makes your tech week infinitely smoother.

Yes, it’s hard to give up that actor rehearsal time so close to the show. But I’ve found that dedicating time to transitions in advance saves hours later. It’s the difference between chaos and calm once tech week hits.

2. Run a Full Cue-to-Cue Before Costumes

Once transitions are in place, schedule a rehearsal that includes all technical elements—lighting, sound, and microphones—before adding costumes.

Costumes add another layer of complexity and distraction. Having that extra cue-to-cue rehearsal allows everyone to focus solely on the technical side first.

I like to schedule this on the Friday evening before tech week officially begins. That rehearsal is usually a “paper tech,” where we finalize cues in all scripts while the crew practices transitions. It’s a quieter, more focused work session that lays the foundation for the chaos to come.

3. Saturday: The Big Combined Tech and Dress Day

Saturday is the only true “all-day” rehearsal I schedule during tech week, and everyone knows about it from the start of the rehearsal process. It’s a mandatory, no-conflicts day.

If it’s a particularly tech-heavy show, we’ll spend the morning (8 a.m. to noon) on technical elements—lights, sound, transitions, microphones—stopping as needed to fix issues. After lunch, we shift gears into costumes and makeup.

For lunch, I recommend simple, grab-and-go options like pizza or sandwiches. Anything that takes a long time to assemble, like a taco bar, can create chaos and take too long. You want a solid half-hour lunch where everyone can eat and rest.

After lunch (around 12:30 to 1:30), students get into costume and do partial makeup—especially if there’s any special makeup needed. The focus isn’t on perfection; it’s on practicality.

From about 1:30 to 4:30, we run the first full dress rehearsal. This run is where students figure out logistics: where to keep their costume pieces, whether quick changes are realistic, and what needs troubleshooting.

Depending on the complexity of the show, the day usually runs from 8 or 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., with a lunch break in the middle and a little buffer time for things to go wrong. It’s a long day, but it’s worth it.

4. Make Small Adjustments That Save Time

If you can trust your students and your equipment, one small time-saving tip is to let students keep their microphones on and in place during lunch. That eliminates the need for another sound check later. Of course, this only works if your students are responsible and you’ve made sure the food is non-messy. If you have a no-food-in-costume rule, that’s absolutely fine too, just plan your timing accordingly.

These small tweaks add up. The goal is to keep the day productive but not punishing.

5. Structure Weeknight Dress Rehearsals for Efficiency

During the week of the show, I run rehearsals right after school, typically wrapping up by 8 p.m. That includes a built-in dinner break.

We start with students arriving right after school, having a quick snack, and getting ready. They get about 45 minutes to prep, and we begin with a 15-minute warm-up or cast meeting. During that time, we also do our mic checks.

If students need extra prep time for elaborate hair or makeup, I encourage them to come early or even do part of it at home. Theatre kids are resourceful—they’ll make it work.

We then run Act I, take a dinner break, and finish with Act II.

6. Type and Email Your Notes Instead of Holding Post-Rehearsal Meetings

Here’s a tip that completely changed my tech week. I don’t hold post-rehearsal notes meetings.

Instead, I type all my notes during the run—organized by category (All Notes, Tech Crew, Lighting, Character-Specific, and email them out to the cast and crew afterward.

This saves at least an hour every night. It gets everyone home earlier, which matters when students are already running on fumes.

I tell them that receiving notes this way is a privilege, and they’re expected to read and implement them. Crew members can show me fixes the next day during setup or prep.

My notes are functional, not fancy. There might be typos, but they get the job done, and everyone appreciates ending rehearsals earlier.

7. Build in Rest If You Can

If the schedule allows, I try to give one night off during tech week. I know it’s risky to lose rehearsal time, but the benefits usually outweigh the drawbacks. Students come back refreshed, better focused, and less likely to get sick.

We all know how quickly “tech week plague” can sweep through a cast. That one rest night can prevent a domino effect of exhaustion and illness.

8. Plan Ahead, and Remember the Bigger Picture

Every show and every program is different. Some will be easier; others will test every bit of your patience. But thoughtful planning always makes a difference.

When you schedule separate tech rehearsals, plan cue-to-cue runs, communicate clearly, and set realistic expectations, you create a smoother, more professional process for everyone.

Tech week will probably never be easy, but it can be organized, manageable, and even enjoyable.

Your students will feel supported, the show will run more efficiently, and you’ll end the week knowing you did your job without completely draining yourself in the process.

Happy directing, and break a leg!

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