# stage manager running the light board?



## NHStech (Mar 22, 2010)

In my house, the SM calls cues from stage right (which has some blind spots). Since light cues generally consist of the lighting person pressing the "go" button on the ETC console, can someone give me a compelling reason why NOT to move my stage manager to the controlbooth and run the lights, while calling the rest of the show? For one thing, she would not be in traffic, and for another, she would always have a good view of the stage (I have hooked up a 7" monitor for her/him, but it isn't quite the same). But, is there something really obvious I am overlooking?


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## seanandkate (Mar 22, 2010)

It depends on the complexity of the show. If you're doing a 10 cue wonder, you're probably fine. If your SM is running lights, and calling sound, flies, set Qs, and four spot operators, then you're probably asking for disaster.
My biggest question would be "Is there a compelling reason that your SM isn't _already _sharing the booth with the board op, so that he?she can call the show in a position with no blind spots?"


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## mstaylor (Mar 22, 2010)

I would move the SM to the sound or lights FOH position to call the show. Whether to run the board or not depends on skill level and complexity of the overall show. Usually not a great idea.


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## NHStech (Mar 22, 2010)

It's one of those "this is how we've always done it" things. Previous TD did it this way, I inherited the position with little training, this is where it is done. I personally agree, because if the SM is calling cues, I do not want him/her bothered by people, and the table where cues are called is right in a traffic lane like that. Is there a good reason to keep the SM there?


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## mstaylor (Mar 22, 2010)

There are theatres that the SM can be onstage but there are blind spots or traffic problems then by all means move to a house position.


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## briancon7 (Mar 22, 2010)

Have them in the booth, but not on the board. I personally do not trust my stage manager to do anything lighting/sound/building related. She does not set up or build and is not properly trained. Keep you SM doing what they are comfortable doing, the last thing you need is confusion.


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## derekleffew (Mar 22, 2010)

Where do you call your shows from? (High school especially) 

Poll: Does your SM spend most of each show backstage or at the Tech Table/Tech Booth?

AEA specifically disallows a Stage Manager from operating stage equipment, without additional compensation.


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## Syphilis (Mar 22, 2010)

The only reason an SM should be backstage with a monitor is to _avoid_ blind spots. If the booth offers a better view you should definitely move him/her to it.

I would be very cautious, even on a ten cue ditty, to hand control over to an _untrained_ SM. What if they hit back by accident? What if a dimmer trips and needs t be reset quickly? The light designer isn't on board for the sole purpose of pushing a button every twenty minutes, but rather to watch for problems, and be there to correct them if they occur. I remember a show where the SM wasn't anywhere near the board, but leaned over and hit the under-the-table house lights with her knee mid-show. If the light designer (or anybody who knew where that hidden switch was) hadn't been there to quickly flip the lights off, Chis Keller would have had that pivotal discussion with his father Joe under bright white fluorescents.

If you can't be bothered to board op, and can't find a replacement, then an hour or two with the SM should be enough to train them how to handle most of these problems, but it's a gamble.


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## NHStech (Mar 22, 2010)

Thanks Derek,
I did search beforehand. I looked for "light cues and stage manager," and a few things popped up, but nothing directly related to this question. Apologies.


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## NHStech (Mar 22, 2010)

To clarify about my stage manager: 
When I designate one each year, he/she is not only in charge of calling cues. His/her responsibility extends to helping with lighting programming and many other things. So, he/she is very involved in the process of the lights. Obviously, if there were a lot of nuances with the show beyond hitting the go button for cues, I wouldn't have him/her doing the lights.


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## mstaylor (Mar 22, 2010)

First you asked the question. Second, many of us do this for a living and we are telling you that most of the time it's a bad idea. It may be different in your situation so if it works, go for it.


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## kiwitechgirl (Mar 22, 2010)

I think it's situation-dependent. In our main house the SM sits in prompt corner and calls the show from there - 99% of the time we have one operator who runs LX, sound and any AV that there might be, and very occasionally we might have an ASM if the set is more complex. Our prompt corner is almost completely blind, so it's calling off a monitor - but I much prefer being down there rather than up in the booth because then I'm right there if actors need to find me for anything if something has gone wrong, given that there is no-one else on the deck. If we regularly had ASMs then we'd call from the booth. But, in our second space (much smaller) it's a one-man-band; I'm SM-ing in there at the moment and I'm operating the show (LX, sound and AV) myself. However, it's also personnel-dependent. I'm both a technician and an SM and so I can program the lighting desk and solve problems pretty capably, but one of our other SMs who is not technical at all simply doesn't work in that space.

In conclusion, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer - it depends entirely on your situation and personnel.


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## NHStech (Mar 23, 2010)

Mike (MSTaylor),
Sorry if I irritated you. I made the point of clarification about my stage manager because both you in an earlier post (at least I thought that is what you meant) and a few others mentioned that the knowledge and ability level of the stage manager may be taken into account. I thought the info pertinent. I wasn't trying to be argumentative. I appreciate all the input and the fact that many of you are full-time, which is precisely why I asked. This forum has helped me as a part-time auditorium manager/technical director so much, I cannot begin to tell you. Perhaps the "obviously" part of my post made me sound defensive (?), but again, that was unintended. That's the one bad thing about message boards, emails, etc. - voice inflection gets totally lost. So, my apologies if I irritated you or anyone else. No disrespect or snarky-ness intended.


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## BDS0111 (Mar 23, 2010)

Unless the SM has some really strong/good ASMs he/she belongs on the stage where he/she can "manage" the stage. I have never had a good experience with the SM being in a booth, lighting or otherwise, or out front in another location. The SM needs to be able to deal with any problems that arise quickly and efficiently therefore they need to be on the stage to do that. Close to the action and close to the dressing rooms. No matter how simple the show, it is never a good idea to have to SM run the lighting console. They need to be focused on the prompt script and the action on stage, not finding their way around a console. I'll also add that putting the SM and board op together in a booth, espeically at the high school and college level, and I have seen this happen at the professional level too, usually leads to conversation which always leads to missed cues, mistakes, or other dangerous moments.


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## rmartin (Mar 23, 2010)

We have cctv monitors SL and SR and also in the Green Room.
This might not be practical but common in many Venues. This eliminates the blind spots as would be the case with a full box set. The stage manager can call from the booth or the stage. Personally I prefer the booth as there are fewer distractions. Actors are not allowed in the booth.


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## Scarrgo (Jun 4, 2010)

My feelings are that the SM should be backstage, to deal with any problems that may arise, can also see if the deck is clear for a rail call, set move or whatever....If there are blind-spots, than a monitor might be a solution if money allows. The SM in the booth is to far away, they can be disconnected from the show, and if a problem comes up, what can they do from FOH.

My wooden nickels worth

Sean...


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## shiben (Jun 5, 2010)

Scarrgo said:


> My feelings are that the SM should be backstage, to deal with any problems that may arise, can also see if the deck is clear for a rail call, set move or whatever....If there are blind-spots, than a monitor might be a solution if money allows. The SM in the booth is to far away, they can be disconnected from the show, and if a problem comes up, what can they do from FOH.
> 
> My wooden nickels worth
> 
> Sean...



I dont personally understand the idea of being more able to see if the deck is clear for a fly cue from the stage, as that would probably require there to be no masking... As for what can they do from FoH, the real question for me personally (not being an SM) is what can they do from the stage, they still have to be in front of their prompt script to continue calling cues, so all being on stage does is either cause a missed cue by them being in the dressing room doing something or them not dealing with the problem because they are off calling cues. Can anyone who actually IS a stage manager explain this (im just a lighting designer/ME/I sometimes work in other shops theatre person, most of my contact with the SM is telling them where the cues go or how to use various things that they will never touch...)? FWIW, our SMs have always called from the booth, so the idea of them being on stage is rather novel to me... We do always have 2+ ASMs and at least 2 stage hands, so not having people on stage is never really a problem for us...


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## kiwitechgirl (Jun 6, 2010)

shiben said:


> I dont personally understand the idea of being more able to see if the deck is clear for a fly cue from the stage, as that would probably require there to be no masking... As for what can they do from FoH, the real question for me personally (not being an SM) is what can they do from the stage, they still have to be in front of their prompt script to continue calling cues, so all being on stage does is either cause a missed cue by them being in the dressing room doing something or them not dealing with the problem because they are off calling cues. Can anyone who actually IS a stage manager explain this (im just a lighting designer/ME/I sometimes work in other shops theatre person, most of my contact with the SM is telling them where the cues go or how to use various things that they will never touch...)? FWIW, our SMs have always called from the booth, so the idea of them being on stage is rather novel to me... We do always have 2+ ASMs and at least 2 stage hands, so not having people on stage is never really a problem for us...



It's very rare for me to have an ASM or a stagehand - that's just the way we work - and I always call from backstage. I don't often leave my desk to solve problems - it does happen occasionally, in which case I can usually trust my operator to take cues, but normally I can deal with things from my desk. I've been known to sew buttons on while calling cues; on a musical I always have spare capsules, batteries, mic packs and tape at my desk and can switch a busted mic out while I call cues. Most of the time, though, I can tell people where to find what they need to solve their issues, and that's about as far as it goes - they can usually sort it out themselves provided they can find whatever it is they need. If I regularly had ASMs or stagehands, it's quite possible I'd call from the booth, but the actors need to have someone on deck for them and usually I'm the only option.


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## Scarrgo (Jun 6, 2010)

Well, in my experience thru the years(many years in stock and 10 yrs + theater tours) the SM has 99.9% of the time been backstage, as that is were the action is and involved in whats going on(if that is the type of show that needs that). To see if the deck is clear is to take a couple of steps upstage as they are on the deck. Maybe I have not done shows that had the luxury of an ASM on both side of the stage, or even one. And I believe that if there is an issue, not a missing button or small prop, but a stuck wagon, hung fly piece, or hit lighting fixture or something that effects the show in a large manner. The SM being in the booth would have to hear about the issue, understand about whats wrong, and then tell whom ever needs to know to fix it, or tell the crew/cast that there is a change and hope they get the message instead of being able to be the one given direction in person.

Just the way I feel and the way I was brought up...
Have a good one

Sean...


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## Spongebob (Jun 6, 2010)

I dont have much experience, but I've always called cues from booth, and we've never had an SM onstage (but maybe because there's barely any room there.) As for the SM running the light board, I think it's perfectly fine as long as they know what they're doing. I never recieved any training in lighting or sound, but I have always been able to take the lighting cues by myself, and fix any lighting or sound problems. I think that lighting and sound is basically common sense sometimes.
If your SM really dosen't know anything about lighting, then train them. I think they'd be glad to have the knowledge, and you're really making good use of them.
Whatever works for your show and is easiest for you, do it.


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## EricC (Jun 7, 2010)

First, I found this fairly interesting...

For our productions the SM is in the booth sitting next to the light board operator. She is on the intercom with the sound board, back stage, and pit orchestra, but since most of her cues are to the the light board (200+) in a show we do not want a communication problem there. The person back is responsible for informing the SM when thigns are ready backstage, and also relaying cues from the SM to back stage staff.

ALso for us the SM has to understand music since many of our cues are based on the score.


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## kiwitechgirl (Jun 7, 2010)

Spongebob said:


> If your SM really dosen't know anything about lighting, then train them. I think they'd be glad to have the knowledge, and you're really making good use of them.



I agree with this in principle - I think a stage manager is better at their job if they have at least a basic understanding of how other departments work. However, I also know several stage managers who find the idea of running a lighting board terrifying and quite frankly, however much it may make them a better SM, it's just not worth the effort to try and train them up! They'll never be truly confident with it, and that can hinder the show rather than helping it.


EricC said:


> ALso for us the SM has to understand music since many of our cues are based on the score.



This is a tangent, but I totally agree. I've seen operas called by SMs who don't read music, and it does my head in. I learnt to read music at the same time as I learnt to read (my mother is a music teacher!!) - it's just something I've always done, and it absolutely makes me a better SM when it comes to musicals. As well as calling the show from score (I'm currently in the midst of sorting out a combined script and score for our upcoming production of _Cabaret_), having a musician as a stage manager also means that you can talk to the MD on their level - it's certainly made my job a whole lot easier in a lot of situations.


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## CotterPin (Aug 2, 2010)

We have a musical up right now in an 800 person venue. I have the SM running the light board (also an ETC) and calling the show. It has worked very well for us. If both you and the stage manager are comfortable with that arrangement, do it. 
It also makes the run of the show less costly, if that's a consideration.


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## lomahongva (Aug 3, 2010)

Nhstech does the nhs refer to Norman high school? Cause if it does that's my old stomping grounds!


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## museav (Aug 9, 2010)

It is interesting to see how many responses seem to offer "the only way to do it" when I find it is very situation dependent. What is the experience and abilities of the SM, ASM and crew? Do you have one or more ASMs? What is the SM's role as far as safety on stage? How complex are the rigging, sets/props and lighting cues? What physical space is available? How are the sightlines? And so on.

Of these I think safety is often a potentially overriding issue. It's great for a SM to have the audience's visual and aural perspective but that's not usually the best place to be in order to deal with any potential problems or issues during the performance.

I someone is calling cues based on music or any live sound then a booth in the back is about the worst place to be as you'll be hearing things after everyone in the audience already heard it. Similarly, think about the fact that a called lighting or sound cue goes direct to the person performing the operation regardless of where the SM is located while a cue for an entrance or live action often has to be relayed if not issued directly.


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