Teching Broadway
“Teching.” In showbiz shorthand, it means technical rehearsal.
At Proctors, it means something bigger: a Broadway show being built from the ground up. Set pieces rise on the MainStage, lights are plotted in the rafters, and crews swarm loading docks, backstage wings and the auditorium—every corner buzzing with preparation.
It also means subscribers and patrons get a rare treat: seeing the first performances of a major touring musical before anyone else in the world.
From rehearsal rooms to Schenectady
While actors in Manhattan rehearsal lofts memorize lines, nail dance steps and blend harmonies, designers are scattered from Connecticut to downtown New York signing off on costumes, fabrics and massive moving set pieces. Directors sift through daily notes, charting how it will all fit together.
Then, the first crews arrive in Schenectady. Stagehands rig the house, calculate sightlines, and test every rope, cable and microphone. Truck-loading diagrams are drafted, producers balance checkbooks, and the theatre transforms into a buzzing laboratory.
Soon, lighting and sound designers arrive, crafting computerized cues alongside Proctors’ stagehands. Weeks later, the cast steps onto the stage for the first time—fine-tuning blocking, adjusting to the space, and finally running dress rehearsals before opening night.
A boost for the region
Teching is thrilling for audiences, but its impact runs deeper. Every show brings dozens of technicians, designers, actors, musicians and crew to town. That means hotel rooms, cab rides, catered meals and late-night takeout—all of it rippling into the local economy.
“It’s an undeniably exciting process for Proctors, the city and the region,” said Proctors CEO Philip Morris, who was instrumental in bringing tech rehearsals not only to Schenectady but to theaters across upstate New York.
The push gained momentum in 2014 when Morris, NAC Entertainment President Albert Nocciolino and a consortium of theatre executives helped launch the Upstate Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit. The incentive gave producers an affordable way to ready shows with top-level talent—without leaving New York State.
Building a legacy
Since 2013, Proctors has teched at least one major production each season, starting with “Ghost the Musical.” Disney’s “Newsies” followed in 2014, then “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” (2015), “An American in Paris” (2016), “Something Rotten!” (2017), and the Tony Award-winning revival of “The Color Purple” later that fall.
The results have been striking. The “Ghost” tech alone generated an estimated $30 million boost for downtown Schenectady. Statewide, the numbers echoed Broadway’s own equation: the industry generates $11.2 billion annually and supports 86,000 jobs.
Today, more shows than ever are teching in upstate New York, thanks to that meaningful nexus of art and commerce. For Proctors, it means not only helping launch Broadway tours, but also sharing in the joy—and the economic power—that comes when the curtain first rises.