How Performers Should Invoice for Rehearsals and Shows

🎭 Shows get the applause — rehearsals quietly eat half your calendar. Invoice both clearly so producers can map spend to budget codes and so future-you isn’t decoding vague emails during tax season.

---

⏱️ Hourly vs package — pick one on purpose

Hourly protects you when notes sessions balloon:

• Define minimum chunks (e.g. half-day blocks)
• Say what counts as billable time

Packages (“Tech week bundle — £X”) feel stable if you attach guardrails:

Includes up to 44 billed hours per schedule dated . Extra hours £/hr only if confirmed in writing.

---

🔖 Split rehearsal vs show on paper

Use prefixes / number ranges so finance routes spend correctly:

Type	Example numbering vibe
🧑‍🏫 Rehearsal block	R-208 …
🎤 Paid performance	P-208 …

Messy numbering = messy budgets.

More gig-type invoice patterns: professional invoices for different gig types.

---

🧾 Expenses beside rehearsal invoices

Typical buckets (confirm with your accountant):

• Travel the schedule forced
• Room hire you fronted
• Losses you can actually recover per contract — don’t invoice fantasy compensation

---

🤝 Deposits on bigger ensemble projects

Deposit invoices protect everyone’s diary:

• Reference signing date + contract clause
• Send immediately after agreement — limbo helps nobody

---

💬 Tone: boring invoice language wins

Finance wants clarity, not poetry:

• Clean subject lines
• Factual descriptions

Payment-speed habits → getting paid faster.

---

❓ FAQ

One invoice for rehearsal + show?

Only if the buyer’s budget insists — splitting usually reconciles cleaner.

Mate’s-rate rehearsals?

Still write explicit £0 / discounted lines + short note (“per agreement dated …”). Silence breeds arguments later.

---

Duplicate rehearsal shells across weeks — StagePay-style reuse (features) saves literal hours across casts and crews.