Rehearsal

Rehearsal is a structured practice session held before a public performance or procedure, enabling participants to refine technique, timing, cues, and coordination. It is used in theatre, music, dance, film, and other performing arts, as well as in military, sports, education, and cognitive training contexts.

In performing arts, rehearsals typically proceed from read-throughs to blocking to run-throughs and, later, technical and dress rehearsals. Read-throughs cover dialogue; blocking fixes stage positions; run-throughs practice sequences with minimal production elements; technical rehearsals integrate lighting, sound, props, costumes; dress rehearsals simulate the full performance conditions.

In music, rehearsals involve ensemble practice, sectional work, and full performances under a conductor, focusing on ensemble balance, timing, intonation, and expression.

In film and television, rehearsals may include table reads, blocking rehearsals, and camera rehearsals, often limited by schedule and budget but used to refine performance and interaction with camera movement.

In cognitive psychology, rehearsal is a memory strategy, with maintenance rehearsal (repetition to keep items in working memory) and elaborative rehearsal (linking items to meanings). It influences encoding and later recall.