But I think I have answers for ya. The "Director" of the show would be in charge of actually running the show, both in the roleplay and in the actual management scheduling auditions, performances, etc. Otherwise, the RP runs itself, based on frequency of players' posts.

Should a key actor disappear, we could either go through the formality of re-casting the role, with humorous RP (like the lead broke his arm by accidentally walking off the edge of the stage). Or, what would probably make more sense, is just to have the other actors cover for the actor as though he/she was still there. Since dialogue/action would overlap from post to post, in most cases, an actor could disappear and potentially not upset the flow of the performance one iota. Ideally, we'd like our actors to stick around through the entire performance, but I think we could cover if someone did go MIA.

Rehearsals would not be necessary, given that the scripts will be available online. There is no line memorization or stage blocking to learn, HOWEVER I think we should have "mock rehearsals" for the fun of the RP.

The length of a performance would depend on how frequently players can post. Some are more available than others, and RP around AW is pretty flexible, I've found. Often, one person may post several times before others do. Those who do not post as frequently can certainly post anachronistically, to make up for their absence, if need be. Each post is really more about the individual actor's point of view and less about sequence of events. Either way, a reader would be able to follow the action, seeing the play from different perspectives.

I hope this lifts a little fog! *S*

I'm all over the idea of having stand-up comedy! Maybe it's just the old fashioned entertainer in me, but I recommend a kind of vaudeville venue, that would include stand-up as well as other performance acts. Are comics allowed to steal their material, a la Milton Berle? I think I could throw together a routine pretty quickly, with material from Eddie Cantor to Dean Martin. LOL