Each show is given a week long slot in the annex, running Sunday to Saturday. Each show is in either a 'high tech' or a 'low tech' slot, depending on the technical requirements of the show. The annex timetable typically alternates between high and low tech slots.

A show usually takes up the full week slot, or can only use a few days in the case of some very low tech slots (e.g. comedy shows)

Before the show week, the technical director, lighting and sound designers will arrange meetings with the directors to discuss details of the technical requirements on the show, and also attend rehearsals to plan ideas for lighting and sound. The week preceding the show week, most theatrical shows will have an 'Intensive Week' within which they have more rehearsals to get the show up to performance standard.

In the weeks leading up to the show week, some of the set building and painting takes place. This will be scheduled as needed for the show, depending on how much needs to be built for the show. Generally, there will be several sessions for painting the flats if they are being used. These can be joined by anyone taking part in the show, not just those who signed up for doing stage.

For a typical week, for a show that takes up the full week slot, there is a standard structure.

Get In
Typically starting at 10am, the get in takes the annex from an empty stage, no sound set up and only the standard lighting rig to being ready for the tech run the next day.

The technical director oversees the get in, and keeps track of everything going on. The stage manager, lighting director and sound director lead the stage, lighting and sound crew throughout the day. The flats are put up and decking is assembled and put into place by the stage crew. All additional lights needed are rigged and focussed with gels put in. The lighting desk and magic sheet are set up, ready for lights to be programmed the following day. The band pit is mic'd up and the sound desk and radio mics are set up by the soundies. More details on the set up can be found on other wiki pages.

Depending on the size of show (and if everything goes to plan), this can finish anywhere from early afternoon to late evening

At the end of the day, lighting and sound desks should be put away and set pieces pushed behind the tab ready for lectures in the annex the following day. This happens at the end of every evening.

Tech Run
This starts at 6pm, after lectures finish. The cast is in the adjacent lecturer theatre to be called through when needed

The sound crew does a sound check with the band and cast if radio mics are being used. Sound usually finishes before lighting so can leave earlier.

The lighting generally takes up the majority of the time. The lighting designer, crew and director will work through the script and program the lights for every lighting change in the show and mark these in the script.

Especially for high tech shows, the tech run can go on until early morning, so bring make sure to eat, stay hydrated and take breaks when you need them. A low tech show may finish around or before midnight, with high tech shows finishing anywhere from 1am to 4am (or even later in some of the past shows people will happily tell you about).

By the end of the tech run the technical parts of the show should be ready for a full dress run.

Dress Run
Tech crew arrives at 6pm Any final adjustments are made, ready for a full dress run to aim to start at 7:30pm.

This is a full run, with the cast in costume, as it should be in the live performances. This is the time to identify any final problems/improvements. This will usually finish late evening, depending on when the run starts and the length of the show.

Evening performances
Tech crew arrives at 6pm, aiming to start the performance at 7:30pm. Before each show, checks should be made to ensure everything is working e.g. no bulbs have blown, all radio mics are working. Audience is ideally let in from around 7:15, although this varies a lot. For shows with an interval, audience leaves the auditorium for that time.

After the show, crew packs away (apart from Fridays, no lectures on Saturdays). The end time on a performance night is dependent on the length of the show (usually around 2 hours), how promptly it started and how long it takes to pack away. Crew usually leaves between 10 and 11pm, as an estimate. There's often a trip to Stag's afterwards

Possible matinee performance, evening performance and get out (+ after show party)
For some shows, mainly Showstoppers and Lopsoc, there will be an aditional matine performance. Crew usually arrives 1:30pm for a 2:30 performance start. The matinee show usually has additional jokes put in by the cast, crew and band, although they vary in subtlety depending on the show. After the matinee there may be a crew meal, where the crew goes out to a pub for dinner. The final evening performance aims to start at 7:30

After the final performance, there may be cast, crew and band photos if these have not been taken earlier in the week.

To get the annex ready for the next show to get in the next day, the annex must be returned to its origional state. This is the Get Out. Set pieces are dismantled, decking and flats are taken down and put away in big store. Mirophones, microphone stands and radio mics are put away, cables are coiled (correctly, of course) and stored in the correct place. All lights put up in the get in are removed (leaving only the standard rig and any lights the next show has requested to be left if arranged), cables are unplugged and coiled. Desks are put back (removing any tape with annotations) As this starts after the final show, this often ends around midnight to 1am, depending on the complexity of the show. However, it is surprising how quickly everything disappears. Once everything is packed away, crew awards are handed out, and people head off to the after show party, if one is being hosted (this is entirely optional)

If you've signed up for the following show, then the next day (sunday) is the get in and you repeat it all over again!

Some shows, such as comdey performances, magic shows and arial showcases require far less set up time, and often only have 1 to 3 performances. These shows have verying schedules, and information on the exact arrangements for the show will be provided on the forum when you sign up.

The main differences between a very low tech show and a typical week are that it starts mid week (rather than a Sunday), and the get in, tech and dress runs are often combined into one night (if there even is a dress run)

An example of a very low tech schedule e.g. comedy is as follows

Get in and tech run
Set up any lights and sound required, there usually is very little stage requirements Lights probably won't need any more programming than a magic sheet.

Evening Performance
Check everything is working before the show. End time is dependent on the show length

Evening Performance
After the performance the get out is usually very quick, but anything out must be put away ready for the next show the following day