Once you have your cast assembled, sit them all down in your rehearsal venue and have them read through the script. Lead a discussion about your vision for the play, and get thoughts from the actors. Discuss the significance of each scene, and clarify the meaning of each line.  Discuss the characters. Talk with each actor about the character he or she is playing. Have this actor think up a back story for the character, and establish how the character feels about the other characters in the play.  Explain the cast what the set will look like. Agree on a rehearsal schedule, and set expectations for when lines will be memorized. Determine where, roughly, each actor will be on stage in even moment of scene—this is called "blocking" the play. Have the actors write down the blocking in their scripts, and write it in your own. Start by rehearsing with the script. The director should keep a copy of the script on hand at all times. When an actor forgets a line, he or she can say "line" and the director will provide a reminder.  If you are producing a musical, you will need a choreographer who designs the dances for each song. This blocking is much more involved. When blocking, consider the set design. Put tape down on the stage where the curtain will be, where the set pieces will be, and where spotlights will be, and make sure all the actors what part of the stage is what. Run through scenes, run through whole acts, and run through the entire play. Give notes after each rehearsal. After a scene has been practiced, or after a whole act has run, the director should give notes and run through troubled moments. Discuss what scenes are going really well, and what needs to change. Your notes should provide specific guidance.  For example, instead of saying "Romeo, you aren't acting like you're really in love. You look bored onstage," say "Romeo, we need to work on body language. When Juliet is on stage, you should always be facing her. Don't take your eyes off her—she is totally captivating to you." Run through scenes that aren't going well, giving actors specific tips. For instance, after giving Romeo his notes, have Romeo and Juliet go onstage to run just the few lines that weren't going well. Block detailed movement to guide lackluster acting: "Okay Romeo, when Juliet moves, follow her movements. Juliet, I want you to lift your arm on that line—okay, Romeo, take a step in that direction when she lifts her arm. Imagine you're a puppy playing catch!" As the date of the performance approaches, begin dress rehearsals. Dress rehearsal is a rehearsal in which the play is practiced exactly as it will be performed, from beginning to end. Actors should be in full costume and makeup. All the set pieces should be in place, and all the lighting and sound should be too. This is a chance for you to make sure that all the materials of the play are in place.  Have a separate tech run-through in which the stage manager gives the cues for each scene change, and the technical crew performs the light and set changes necessary. Do a few of these to ensure speed. Have several dress rehearsals in which you stop the action to give notes and work out problems with sets, costumes, and lights. Once those things seem to be working, do one or two full run-throughs in which the whole play is performed, start to finish, with no stopping. If there is an error in staging, lighting, or acting, the cast and crew must work to cover it up, just as they will during an actual production.

Summary: Do a first read-through. Block the play and rehearse with the script. Rehearse in stages. Hold tech and dress rehearsals.


The bowl is the part of the glass the wine sits in. Serve light-bodied white wines, like Moscato and Soave, in wine glasses with bowls that are tall and thin. Full-bodied whites, like Viognier, should be served in wine glasses with shorter, rounder bowls. The wider opening of the bowls in red wine glasses makes the wine taste smoother. Full-bodied red wines, like Cabernet Sauvignon, should be served in tall, large red wine glasses. Serve low-bodied reds, like Pinot Noir and Gamay, in a shorter glass with a slightly rounder bowl. Sparkling wine glasses have a thin bowl with a small opening. They’re thinner and more tapered at the base than white wine glasses.

Summary: Serve white wines in small-bowled glasses. Serve red wines in large-bowled glasses. Use tall and thin glasses for sparkling wines.


Dolorimetry is the measurement of pain sensitivity or pain intensity by instruments that can apply heat, pressure or electrical stimulation to some part of your body. The concept was developed in 1940 in order to test how well pain medication worked, although the devices used to cause pain and have advanced quite a bit over the decades.  Lasers and various electrical devices are now used to test your tolerance to pain — but not measure pre-existing pain from some disease or injury. Dolorimeters are calibrated to determine how much stimulation (from heat, pressure or electrical impulses) you can take before you describe it as painful. For example, most people express painful sensations when their skin is heated to 113 °F. In general, women have higher pain thresholds than men, although men have greater abilities to work through high levels of pain. New technology and breakthroughs are allowing doctors and researchers to evaluate pain levels from fMRI brain scans, which might eventually replace the dependency on self-reporting (via questionnaires and visual scales) to measure the presence or absence of pain. The new tool (an fMRI given in real time) documents patterns of brain activity to give an objective assessment of whether someone is in pain or not.  Using functional MRI scans of the brain and advanced computer algorithms, researchers claim that they can detect pain 81% of the time in patients. Because the sensation of pain causes certain identifiable brain patterns, this new MRI tool can substantiate a person's pain and also expose someone who may be faking it. Although the technology can detect pain within people, it cannot yet determine the extent (intensity) of the pain. We all know the common facial expressions that signify a person is in pain, such as wincing, grimacing and frowning. The problem is that facial expressions are easy to fake, or sometimes they are misinterpreted due to cultural reasons. However, advanced facial recognition software allows doctors and researchers to determine if a person is truly in pain and, to a lesser extent, the degree of pain they feel.  Patients are typically videoed while being physically examined or doing an activity that's meant to elicit pain, such as bending over of a person claims they have low back pain. The facial recognition software analyses various points on the face for typical painful expressions and correlates the timing to an activity or exam — such as a practitioner putting pressure on a reportedly painful body part. Facial recognition software if expensive and not meant for people to describe or measure their own pain, but rather for doctors / practitioners to prove or disprove the presence of pain.
Summary: Use a dolorimeter to test your pain threshold or tolerance. Get a functional MRI brain scan to objectify your pain. Use facial analysis to determine pain.