But despite, the short-term shift in the actors' priorities, Kornell says the play forces him to use his free time well.

"It's harder to keep in touch and harder to keep up on your studies...but when you do get to study or hang out with your friends, you're more focused on your studies" and value your time with your friends more, he says.

Last Sunday was the longest day of rehearsal. It was the beginning of "wet tech"--in which technical elements such as light and sound were slowly introduced into the play. At noon the cast commenced the three-hour production, which dragged on until midnight because of stops and starts to coordinate lighting and sound.

Some actors express dissatisfaction with having to be at rehearsal all day, even when their character was not on stage.

"There's no reason why I should be here tonight," Parris says as she snuggled under a blanket in the Loeb's "Green Room" on Sunday night. She soon went back to sleep.

Short-Staffed

The "Richard III" crew was forced to work longer hours than usual in part because of a campus-wide shortage of students experienced in theater tech.

Set designer Daniel O'Connell Scully '99 became a "de facto" technical director when a permanent one could not be found. He estimates that he has now spent at least 200 hours working on the show.