# How to List Rehearsal Conflicts Without Losing the Role > What counts as a rehearsal conflict, how to list yours on an audition form so a director can plan around them, why tech week is different, and what to say when a new conflict comes up after you're cast. - URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-tell-a-director-about-conflicts - Published: 2026-10-26 - Last updated: 2026-10-26 The audition form looks harmless until you reach the box near the bottom: *List all conflicts.* You have a Tuesday night shift, a cousin's wedding in November, and a class that might move next semester. You'd love the part. And a small voice says that if you write all of that down, someone with an empty box gets it instead. That voice gives bad advice. Directors read conflict lists every season. The conflict that hurts a production most is usually the one the director finds out about after casting. The short version: list every conflict you know of, with dates, times, and a short reason, and mark which ones could move. Assume tech and performance weeks are off limits for conflicts. If something new comes up after you're cast, tell the stage manager and director the same day, in writing, with a plan for catching up. ## What counts as a conflict A conflict is any time during the rehearsal and performance period when you can't be there. Many forms split them into two kinds. The [actor's handbook at Davidson College's theatre department](https://davidson.edu/media/559/download) asks for your regular conflicts and your one-time conflicts, and asks you to be as specific as possible. **Regular conflicts** repeat every week: a class, a job, a standing commitment. The [audition form at the University of Texas at Arlington](https://cdn.web.uta.edu/-/media/project/website/cola/theatre/students/documents---current-students/2022-2023-audition-form.ashx) uses a weekly grid. It asks actors to mark the hours taken by classes, work, religious activities, family commitments, rehearsals, performances, or other regular activities that can't be changed. It has separate boxes for Saturday and Sunday. **One-time conflicts** are single dates: a wedding, a trip, an exam, a medical appointment. The same form asks for the specific dates and the reason. Some things don't count, at least not automatically. The [Utah State University theatre audition form](https://artsci.usu.edu/theatre-arts/files/audition-form-fall-23.pdf) says personal and family social events are not considered justifiable conflicts, and must be approved by the director as soon as the cast list is posted. Not every company is this strict. Read the form, and when it's unclear, list the event and let the director decide. ## Why an honest list beats a clean one It can feel like a long conflict list costs you the role. Sometimes conflicts do weigh on casting; the UTA form says plainly that conflicts may prevent you from being cast or kept in the cast. But a hidden conflict is worse, for you and for everyone else. Forms and handbooks say this outright. The Utah State form asks for *all* known conflicts, says they are considered during casting, and warns that you will not be excused for conflicts that are not listed. The UTA form warns that failing to list one may mean removal from the production. Davidson's handbook says honesty on these forms is essential. The reason is the rehearsal schedule. A director or stage manager builds it from the conflict lists, scene by scene, so that the people in each scene are free at the same time. Chris Peterson, who founded OnStage Blog, wrote about an actor who forgot a seven-day vacation to Florida the week before Tech Sunday. [His verdict](https://www.onstageblog.com/editorials/2023/4/13/lying-about-your-conflicts-is-one-of-the-worst-things-you-can-do-to-your-show) on actors who aren't upfront: it "can throw an entire rehearsal period off." Davidson's handbook gives one useful detail about which conflicts hurt most. It warns that more than one regular weekend conflict could severely affect the schedule, especially in ensemble-based shows. If you have more than one, it's worth saying so out loud at the audition, not just on the form. ## How to write your conflicts so a director can use them A good conflict list answers three questions for each line: when, how long, and can it move? Vague entries like "some weekends" or "work, varies" are the hardest to plan around, because the stage manager can't schedule around a guess. Here is what a clear list looks like: - Every Tuesday, 6pm to 10pm: work shift (fixed, can't change). - Every Thursday until December 10: class until 7pm, so I can arrive by 7:30. - Saturday, November 7: cousin's wedding out of town, all day (can't move). - Wednesday, November 18, 6pm to 8pm: exam (date set by the school). - Possible: my spring class schedule isn't set yet, so a weeknight class may move; I'll confirm by December 1. Notice the details. Partial conflicts say when you can arrive, because a director can often use you for the last hour. Fixed conflicts say they're fixed. Uncertain ones say they're uncertain and when you'll know. That last line is better than leaving it off and hoping. If you don't know your full schedule yet, say what you know. Davidson's handbook asks students without a complete class schedule to give as much information as they can. Then update it the day you find out. ## Tech and performance weeks are different Many theater programs treat the last stretch of the process as non-negotiable. Davidson's handbook requires actors to attend all technical rehearsals and all performances. It says to sort out any conflicts with those dates before you accept a role. The Utah State form puts it in capitals: no one is excused during tech and performance weeks. So check those dates first, before you even audition. They're often printed on the audition notice or form. If you have a wedding on opening night, it's more than a line on the form: list it, raise it with the director before you accept, and be ready to decide. Our guide to [tech week for actors](https://www.offbook.com/blog/tech-week-for-actors) explains why that week needs everyone in the room. ## When a new conflict comes up after you're cast Life doesn't stop for a rehearsal calendar. You get a job offer, a family emergency, a jury summons. Every source here agrees: say it early. Davidson's handbook tells cast members to communicate all conflicts to the director and stage manager immediately. Kerry Hishon, writing for [Theatrefolk](https://theatrefolk.com/blog/theatrical-time-management-students), says to tell your director about conflicts as soon as they come up, even before auditions if you can. Hishon also points out the kind of surprise that hurts a cast. Announcing after casting that you'll miss every Monday rehearsal isn't fair to the rest of the cast and crew. In our experience, a single new date is easier to absorb, but only if people hear about it in time. ### What to say Send the message to the stage manager, who runs the schedule, and copy the director. Our guide to [working with your stage manager](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-work-with-your-stage-manager) covers why they're the right first stop. Keep it short and practical: - Say exactly what you'll miss: the date, the times, and the rehearsal it falls on. - Give the reason in one line. You don't need to over-explain, and you shouldn't make it sound smaller than it is. - Say what you can still do: arrive late, leave early, or be there for part of the call. - Offer a plan to catch up, and ask whether there's anything specific you should work on. Then accept the answer. Some companies accept a late conflict and some don't. If the director says it's a problem, that's information, not an insult. A conflict you raise early, with a plan, is far easier to work with than one that shows up as an empty chair. ## Make up for what you miss The best answer to a missed rehearsal is coming back as if you'd been there. Ask the stage manager for any blocking from the rehearsal you missed. Many stage managers record blocking in the prompt book. Then walk it at home, using our guide to [memorizing blocking](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-memorize-blocking). Lines are the part you can fully own on your own. With Offbook, you upload the script, pick your role, and realistic voices read every other character and wait for your line. That means you can run the scenes you missed without a castmate. When you're away from your laptop, you can listen to your scenes on your phone, as the video below shows, so you can keep the scenes in your ear on a trip or after a late shift. Video: [Listen on your phone](https://www.offbook.com/learn/listen-on-phone) (0:52) If your conflicts come from a job, our guide to [learning lines with a day job](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-learn-lines-with-a-day-job) has a weekly plan that fits around a work schedule. And to keep your cue-pickup sharp between rehearsals, our [free run lines tool](https://www.offbook.com/tools/run-lines-online) lets you practice classic scenes with no account. ## Should you take the role at all? Sometimes the honest answer, once you write the list out, is that the show doesn't fit your life right now. That isn't failure. Turning down a role before rehearsals start is kinder to the company than missing a third of them. A few questions help. Do your conflicts fall on the days the show rehearses most? Are any of them in tech or performance week? Would you be missing the same scene partner's rehearsals every week? If the answer to most of those is yes, talk to the director before you accept. They may have a smaller role that fits, or a future show that does. ## Questions actors ask ### Will listing conflicts hurt my chances of being cast? They can be a factor, especially if they're heavy or fall on weekends or tech week. But a hidden conflict that appears after casting is worse, and some forms say you won't be excused for, or may be removed over, a conflict you didn't list. List them honestly and let the director plan. ### What if I don't know my schedule yet? Write down what you know and say what's still uncertain, with the date you expect to know. Then send the update the day you find out. A clear "possible conflict, confirming by December 1" is more useful than a blank space. ### Is a family event a real conflict? It depends on the company. At least one university form says personal and family social events need the director's approval after casting. List it anyway, say whether it can move, and let the director decide. ### Can I miss a rehearsal during tech week? Usually not. Many theater programs require every actor at every technical rehearsal and performance. If you have a conflict in tech or performance week, raise it before you accept the role. ### Who do I tell about a new conflict, the director or the stage manager? Both. Message the stage manager, who keeps the schedule, and copy the director. Do it in writing, as soon as you know, with the exact date and times.