The plans have been discussed for weeks, maybe months, and changed several times as part of the development to the rehearsal stage. Everything should work according to plan. This does happen, but all too often there are hiccups that do not appear on the plans. The whole setup is like one huge jigsaw puzzle, and when any one thing changes it can affect several other things. The true test is to set everything as per the plans to program lighting and rehearse a show.
The musicians should have rehearsed the music in a small rehearsal room before production rehearsals so that the time for production rehearsals can be used to integrate the musicians to the technical side of the show to produce stunning entertainment. The production rehearsal period should be used to mark clearly as many elements of the equipment as possible. This reduces setup time dramatically. All equipment cases should be color coded according to destination at the venue, that is, onstage, stage left, stage right, front of house (FOH). All cases also should be marked with their contents and weight. Truck loading can be simplified by means of color coding for each truck. The order of packing can be identified with numbering of each case.
The sound, lighting, and backline crews should have as many cables as possible loomed together and labeled clearly. This reduces patching time, because patching often has to be done with limited lighting and space in dark corners on and under the stage. All cable labeling should have a logical sequence that can be easily followed.
Rehearsal time also should be used to get the crew working together as a team. The setup schedule should be discussed with the crew chiefs from each department so that everyone knows when there is going to be noise and when there will be darkness. The sequence of the setup should be worked out so that there is no double handling of equipment, which is both boring and time consuming. Time taken for a brief meeting with all the crew chiefs saves arguments or discussions during setup.
Travel and accommodation are booked by the tour manager. It is in the interest of the production manager to go through the hotel and travel arrangements with the tour manager to make sure the tour manager understands the production schedule. The hotels should be sent a list of instructions to facilitate check in. The following are sample instructions to be sent to a hotel.
Under no circumstance should hotel staff give out any information regarding this group, using real or assumed names.
Please preregister the entire group and have room keys and a copy of the rooming list in a sealed envelope for each group member on arrival. Please include a hotel information sheet with a full list of features and facilities.
Please use only the supplied rooming list. Under no circumstances should any other information be supplied on the list.
Please provide at least two porters on arrival with at least two luggage carts to assist with baggage. The group will assign someone to assist with the distribution of luggage. Please make sure that the porters have an accurate copy of the rooming list for the whole party with baggage tag numbers clearly marked on it.
Housekeeping must honor the “Do Not Disturb” signs unquestioningly. They must not try to verify occupancy or check minibars by knocking, phoning, entering, or trying to enter the group rooms.
Figure 4–1. Introduction to a recent itinerary.
Absolutely no construction work must be conducted in or around the hotel. Please check locally before our arrival to assure that no such work is under way or is scheduled to start before our departure. All rooms should be allocated away from any sources of noise such as elevators, main roads, stairways, ice and vending machines, housekeeping stations, or staff rest areas. All rooms should have king-size beds. Please try to allocate all rooms on the same floor when possible unless otherwise advised.
If signatures are required on registration cards, folios, or other documents, the tour manager is authorized to sign on behalf of all group members. Please set up a master folio for all room and tax charges. Please set up a separate folio for each room, listing incidental charges only. These charges are to be paid directly by each guest on departure.
Please mark each folio with complete names and room numbers to avoid confusion at check out or with late charges.
The tour manager will pay all room charges on departure by means of either company check or company credit card. Please make up one master folio for all rooms and have the list ready for the tour manager to check the night before check out. If all instructions for rooming lists, check out, and payment details are followed, it will expedite group movement in your reception area and alleviate problems at check out.
DAY SHEETS
The tour manager will issue day sheets to all members of the group. These day sheets are to be placed under the door of each room by your porters promptly after the sheet has been given to reception. This will typically be between 11 P.M. and 1 A.M.
TELEPHONE CALLS
Under no circumstances should a call be transferred to any room unless the name used on the rooming list is given.
Figure 4–2. A day on the road.
CORRESPONDENCE
Should, for any reason, letters, packages, or parcels be delivered to your hotel in advance of our arrival, they must be held in a secure place and handed to the tour manager on arrival. If anything arrives after the group’s departure please notify the travel agent immediately for further instructions. Do not send any packages back to the sender. Your efforts and attention to the foregoing details are much appreciated.
ADAPTING THE SHOW TO DIFFERENT VENUES 
It is inevitable that at some point a show will not fit into the venue. Some adaptations have to be made to make it work because the stage is too narrow, too low, or too short, the clearance is not high enough, or there is a fire curtain right where the lighting grid sits. There may not be enough power, dressing rooms, or space. All these problems and more have to become challenges, because whatever the situation, the production team is expected to deliver a show to an audience that night. To minimize the drama of a difficult setup, notice should be given to all crew that amendments to the standard setup have to be made and what those changes are. This communication reduces conflict in what will be difficult circumstances.