Town Hall Rehearsal & Performance

Your school choir rehearses at the Town Hall 9.45am – 12pm on the morning of your Performance Night.

You MUST arrive AT LEAST by 9.30am at the latest, preferably 9.15am or earlier, so that your choir can be properly seated before the rehearsal commences.

Beforehand we will have sent you:

• details of exactly which stairs to use
• which door to enter the auditorium
• which seats your school has been allocated

When you arrive:

• get your transport to drop you at the main doors of the Town Hall
• bring your choir into the Main Foyer where you will be met by one of our staff
• if necessary, use the toilets
• your choir will be guided to their seats

The timetable for the morning is:

8.45am Orchestra to rehearse
9.45am Massed choir rehearsal commences
12pm Rehearsal finishes

• no songbooks will be used at the rehearsal or at the performance.
• no food to be consumed in the Town Hall so they will need to have a substantial breakfast on that morning. (Note: If there is a medical requirement for food or drink for a pupil, we ask that a school staff member has responsibility for this.)
• water bottles, if absolutely necessary, can be taken but must be looked after by teachers and kept together in a crate/bag.  They must be kept outside the doors of the auditorium.  Strictly no metal bottles.
• Please also note that the teachers present are expected to actively supervise their choir and TO REMAIN IN THE AUDITORIUM during the rehearsal. At some stage during the rehearsal, the stage manager will hold a meeting of supervisors to ensure that they understand their role.

Supervisors will need to be at the Town Hall before 6.15pm (please be on time). They should go to your school’s seating area which will have been confirmed at the morning rehearsal. Instructions for supervisors will be given out at the Town Hall Morning Rehearsal. It is important supervisors are on time as we will not allow the children to go to their seats unless we know a supervisor is present.

How many supervisors do we need?

Number of children in your choir & Number of supervisors required

Up to 25 children – 1, preferably 2 supervisors
26 – 50 children – 2 supervisors
51 – 75 children – 3 supervisors
76 – 100 children – 4 supervisors
101+ children – 5-6 supervisors

On arrival: School choir members need to be at the Town Hall by 6.30pm. Allowance needs to be made for inevitable traffic issues in the central city. Better to be a little early than late – aim for 6.10pm and you will there on time. All school choir children are to enter through the main doors of the Town Hall and use the appropriate side staircase that they used in the morning rehearsal to go directly to their designated seats. 

Food: NO CHILD is allowed to leave the auditorium. The children will need to use the toilet BEFORE they enter the auditorium. No child is to bring sweets, chewing gum, food or drinks unless needed because of medical reasons. (We would prefer that the supervisor takes control of any needed food).

Water bottles, if absolutely necessary, can be taken but must be looked after by teachers and kept together in a crate/bag.  They must be kept outside the doors of the auditorium.  Strictly no metal bottles. 

Toilets: Please be aware that there are not many toilets upstairs for students to use during the concert interval. Please encourage students to not drink too much beforehand and not have everyone use the toilets at breaktime.

Meals: As the children will be in the Town Hall from approximately 6.30pm to 9.15pm we suggest they have a sensible meal before the show and a small amount to drink.

Clothing: Jackets and sweatshirts should be left with parents as the children become overheated when performing under lights. It is preferable that watches and shiny jewellery are not worn as these sparkle in the lights and are distracting for the audience.

Interval: The children DO NOT come out at the half-time interval and the parents ARE NOT ALLOWED into their performance area during interval. Ice creams and other treats which parents may want to bring should be saved until after the performance has finished. Choirs must remain in the seats at the half-time interval. Supervisors will have to restrict, monitor and control the numbers using the toilets at any one time; better that they all use the toilets before the performance. With over 1000 performers at each performance, we just do not have the time to allow such a large group to leave the auditorium…or else we will still be performing at 11.00pm!

At the conclusion of the performance: Choir teachers should make arrangements with their children and parents to meet in a particular area at the conclusion of the performance. Please avoid meeting with parents upstairs as it causes chaos on the stairs with schools trying to get down and parents trying to go up. Your school choir supervisors MUST control your choir during this time, and remain at the Town Hall until all your children are collected. The concert is scheduled to finish at 9.20pm.