***Please note registering for this event does not guarantee your participation as spots are limited. If selected for the Rehearsal Room you will be contacted personally by DEGNZ as the date approaches***

The Rehearsal Room brings together professionals - actors and directors - in a safe, supportive environment to PRACTISE working with each other on scenes under the guidance of an experienced moderator.

Register to have your name in the draw to participate. For each event 4 directors and 8 actors will be selected. ONLY Actors Equity actors and DEGNZ directors are permitted entry to The Rehearsal Room.

You need only register once. Your name will remain in the draw for future Rehearsal Rooms unless you ask us to remove it. If you are selected, we’ll email or phone you to confirm your participation.

Moderator

Ian Hughes' breakthrough role was in acclaimed TV series and movie Topless Women Talk About Their Lives. Topless was followed by multiple TV guest parts (Shortland Street, Xena, Bliss) and film roles, including starring in his own Kafkaesque short, The Waiting Room, and acclaimed play Ship Songs. Ian has worked with many of New Zealand’s top directors and as a television director himself on Step Dave and Shortland Street.

Who is The Rehearsal Room for?

Professional actors and directors. It is open to Actors Equity and DEGNZ members of all levels of experience, from novices to virtuosos.

Material

Directors will be asked to provide a two-character scene (2 pages) or, if you prefer, a scene will be provided for you. Directors and actors will receive scripts in advance.

Structure of the event

Directors and actors will spend time rehearsing their scenes, with emphasis on connection and content.

Participants will block their scenes, before presenting them for shooting, followed by viewing and discussion. The shooting is a wide shot only, intended as a means to review performance, not for directors to direct camera.

The Rehearsal Room is hosted by Directors & Editors Guild of New Zealand and the Equity Foundation, with financial support from New Zealand Film Commission.