# To take a cue or not take a cue, that is the question



## Techiegirly (Dec 10, 2007)

Let's say you already know the show well enough to not need your cue sheet any more and the SM is busy dealing with an issue that came up during the show or just plain zoned out for a second...1 theatre I work for in particular is STRONGLY against you taking a cue on your own, even if you know EXACTLY when to take it, even if it kind of ruins the show if it's not taken on time while a few of the other theatres I work in will jump your crap for not taking things on your own if necessary. I know it's the SM's job to call the cues but let's admit it, sometimes it's not always feesable right? 

What do you do in this situaton and what experiences have you had with this sort of thing?


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## soundlight (Dec 10, 2007)

You only push go when the SM says go. When we're talking on com, we even spell out G O when we're not actually talking about go for a cue, purely out of convention.


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## Van (Dec 10, 2007)

I've gotta "GO" with Soundlight on this one. As dumb as it may sound, the SM runs the show. Maybe the SM is a complete Nimrod with ADD, in that case you may want to take the cue when you know it goes, or in the rare cases when you've been given a warning or stand-by then the SM gets distracted by an emergency or something you might go ahead and tell them " hey I took that cue.", but for the most part you take it when they say and not before. Now there might be some argument from people in the "Production" world. In the world of R&R and Production, as a board op you are usually granted more autonomy, as there isn't usually an SM calling every cue, but in Theatre, you're strictly "Neck-down" when op-ing


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## cutlunch (Dec 10, 2007)

I can see the problem. If the SM hasn't called the standby for the cue then I would get on the cans and say "LX standing by on cue no.". This is a polite way of reminding them if they zone out. If they are going off cans they should tell you and hopefully you can ask them what they want.

It can depend on also where the cue is. For instance if it is coming from a B/O then there may be a set /actor problem you don't know about. If it is going to a B/O where the actors have a freeze and can't move until the B/O then this may be where you need to act.

But in the end it comes down to the SM they are responsible for the show so long as you have done everything when they told you.

Depending on how well you get on with the SM for each show I would ask them how they want to play it. They may say never do anything until I tell you or they might say if you can see I am going to stuff up the cue fix it.

I take it your are talking about paid SM's as opposed to amatuer SM's.
If a paid SM stuff's up it is down to them. If it is an amateur SM then I would probably try to help them out of any problems.


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## Footer (Dec 10, 2007)

soundlight said:


> You only push go when the SM says go. When we're talking on com, we even spell out G O when we're not actually talking about go for a cue, purely out of convention.



I have worked some places where they say fish instead of go if you are just talking about it. I have taken a cue without it being called twice, one for a show that had a light switch on the wall, the actor who as supposed to "turn on the lights" forgot to, and the SM was busy calling sound cues for a phone call and another actor ran over to turn the lights on and I took the cue, the other time was a button that was not called. 

With an equity SM you do not take the cue unless it is called, period. When I am running LX for a show, I don't even watch the show (usually I try to distract myself playing a game on my laptop or something, I am a bit ADD when it comes to running show). When you are running a board, you are that console, that is all there is to it. You have no call in when anything happens, if they say something should go, you go. I have gotten yelled at before because the SM called the wrong cue number, jumping a cue, and I took the cue number that he called which blacked out the stage. When we were on the dock he asked why I did that and my only response was "I take what youc call and don't question it". You do what the SM says, no matter what.


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## wolf825 (Dec 10, 2007)

As has been said--its the board op job to take the cue WHEN they are told G-O. I've been doing shows for 22+ years in venues from Broadway to the Burbs....and when I'm LX board op I usually have the show memorized after the first or second rehearsal..but its the SM's responsibility to call the show..period. If the SM is yappin on their phone, doin a soduku puzzle or otherwise distracted (yes I've seen all of that--the SM's were usually replaced or yelled at, especially when the producer/director happens to stroll quietly into the booth to give a note and see's the SM doin a puzzle.). 

In the chain of command, the board op is UNDER the SM for show duties--they do as they are told by the SM. If the SM is a flake, unable to call the show or handle all the cues or just not payin attention--they need to be replaced...simple as that...and that is the Producer and Directors job to decide that..not the board op. The SM is responsible for the show continuity and the show cues and performance production.. The board op may know the cue--but its not their job to call the show or take cues on their own. That is a good way to get fired. A nasty SM may even report you for taking cues on your own, and you can get yelled at or fired--even if you are right on a cue--you did not follow chain of command. The SM will get yelled at by the producer/director if something is wrong--and they will sacrifice the board op to cover themselves--and if you are asked and say that you took the cue without a GO--then YOU are wrong, not the SM, and you will take the heat. If the SM did not give the cue--that is all you need to report--and its the SM who failed, not the board op. If a producer/director has to talk to the board op for running on their own or ignoring the SM--the board op will usually be replaced without a second thought. You do a show NO SERVICE by tryin to do the SM's job or usurping their authority....you do the show NO SERVICE by covering for a lousy SM... If they miss a cue--they miss a cue and they will hear about it... As Board Op--YOU do not always know of any of the changes which may have been made between the SM and the director/producer...for all you know the CUE may have been instructed to be called later or earlier or to wait for a visual the SM knows about....but if you take it before you get the GO cause you remember the nite before it was at a certain point--you again do NO SERVICE to the show. Do your job when you get the GO call...don't try to do the SM's job as well..thats what the producer and director expect of the board op--to do their job when they are told by the SM....not take a cue when they think it should happen. It all comes down to "Too Many Cooks..". Nothing wrong with letting the SM know you are standing by for a cue if you see they are not paying attention and a cue is getting near or passed--and that often snaps them back into attention...but that is as far as you take it... If they ignore you--or they don't follow the cue--that is the SM problem, not yours. I know a few SM's who never can get the cue right or call it properly for timing after 5 rehearsals--and while its annoying to see and you know it could be better if it was called properly or at a certian time, its their job, not yours to decide that and figure it out.. Many SM's if they have a problem with a cue or timing will often ask the board op about the cue timing and so on--and its those opportunities when you "may" be able to offer a suggestion to help....but in the end its up to the SM to call it... 

-w


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## mixmaster (Dec 10, 2007)

I expect my operators to exersize some logic. If I miss calling a cue that coordinates with something else, they should be able to recognize the need to think on their own and take the cue. It just doesn't work if the lighting guy take cue L214 on cue and the sound guy doesn't roll the thunder cue S215 right away, even If I miss calling it.
On the other hand, stand alone events like show music and lighting scenes should be taken on cue, from someone who is keeping track of what's going on. I once jumped a cue bringing the lights back up after a scene change in black. The SM had just jumped all over the stage crew during rehersals for taking to long to do the change. He only wanted to hold black for a certain amount of time. (otherwise the audience goes to sleep in the dark) "30 sec black, 30 sec black", we heard it over and over. Half way though the run I'm waiting for the GO cue to bring back lights and after 90 sec I decide I must have missed the cue in the chatter on the comm circuit. I take the cue on my own and bring up the next scene.....There's the SM and one grip, on all fours, asses to the audiance, trying to fix something on the set that broke during the change. MORAL OF THE STORY: Listen to your SM but be smart.


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## len (Dec 10, 2007)

Van said:


> Now there might be some argument from people in the "Production" world. In the world of R&R and Production, as a board op you are usually granted more autonomy, as there isn't usually an SM calling every cue, but in Theatre, you're strictly "Neck-down" when op-ing



So true. Most of the time in concerts, etc., you go when you know to go. Seldom is there a person calling cues. Also, if you're a spot, and your guy goes off stage, or is drinking, or swapping guitars and the like, the standing order is usually to fade out on him until he's back. Only times you wait until told is with pyro or other stuff that's real deadly, like moving truss, etc. 

However, if the standing order for everyone is "go when you know to go" then that's what you do. That seems like a risky standard, since it puts the blame on the op when it might be the fault of the SM or the fault of the actor.

As an addendum: In concerts, the talent doesn't necessarily do the same thing every time. Solos don't go right, musicians like to move around wherever, etc. The board op(s) need the freedom to follow the talent as needed. On a rehearsed show, such as a Cher, or Justin Timberlake, where all the movements are fairly well choreographed, that's not the case. But in a band that just does whatever the hell they want and the LD needs to follow, you need to have people who can make decisions on their own.


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## soundlight (Dec 10, 2007)

For concerts, especially if it's an LD (this means lighting designer or lighting director in this case), usually they have creative control over the lighting aspect of the show. However, for theatre, I stand by the neck-down approach. I push go when I am told to, and no other time. I place all of the responsibility on the SM, because that is how it is supposed to work in theatre. The SM has control of the show, unless you're told to take a visual cue (which I have had to do a few times) or a cue from a time called from the sound guy on the CD player (which I've also had to do), but all in all, the SM tells you when to do GO, and no one else. This means that if something happens that is wrong, "the SM said GO" is the only explanation that is needed. This also means that the only person that the director and LD need to explain cue timings to is the SM, not the SM and LBO.


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## icewolf08 (Dec 10, 2007)

Well, I don't have to say anything, it has all been said. But, just because, I will say, at least in theatre, you only take a cue when it is called. Then it isn't your fault if it is wrong, even if you get blamed. I also second Footer, I make it a point to never learn the show, and I only watch the show when I am in standby and while a cue is running. You need to look up every now and then to make sure the cues still look right.


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## What Rigger? (Dec 11, 2007)

soundlight said:


> You only push go when the SM says go. When we're talking on com, we even spell out G O when we're not actually talking about go for a cue, purely out of convention.




Hey Sound, spelling out G O is actually a really good safety/operational thing backstage anywhere. That's pretty smart. 

On my gig, where human life is put into the breach nightly, none of us on the crew ever actually say "go" or anything like that. I mean, we don't say "no", "oh!", "D'oh", "slow" or "hobo". 

Good on ya!


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## soundlight (Dec 11, 2007)

What Rigger? said:


> none of us on the crew ever actually say "go" or anything like that. I mean, we don't say "no", "oh!", "D'oh", "slow" or "hobo".



Yeah - we also try to refrain from using short words with that O sound...just part of a good SOP for shows. I find this to be good, as some of the SM's here are not the best at calling cues - sometimes a "standby lights 34.2...GO" is all that I get, so it's good to have that rule, because sometimes the GO isn't even given with a cue number..it's just given off of the standby.


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## Techiegirly (Dec 11, 2007)

One of the theatres I work in it's a long running show that runs 4 times a day almost 365 so I have no choice but to memorize the show. The toughest thing for me is to wait for the "G" because a lot of the BUMP cues I have programmed into my head to take them on my own with the music but I alway have to hold back for the darn "G". The first couple of months I worked there I literally had to TRY my hardest to not take them on my own and I went early and got yelled at a few times.

In the same show we have a blackout, lightning strikes, a flash photo, a gobo that is supposed to be glass shattering on stage with a sound cue...several cues that MUST be taken on time AND with sound to make ANY sense so I always feel obligated to care even if the stage manager is busy or zoned out. I guess though since EVERYONE here thinks it's best I'll just try and forget about "show" and let the SM take the blame no matter how ghetto it ends up looking :neutral: 

Thanks guys!


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## cutlunch (Dec 11, 2007)

Footer4321 said:


> When I am running LX for a show, I don't even watch the show (usually I try to distract myself playing a game on my laptop or something, I am a bit ADD when it comes to running show). .



I follow the SM calling bit. But what I don't understand is not watching the show. If you don't watch the show how do you spot when a lamp blows during a show?. What if a light starts flickering?
You may not actually be able to do anything about it at the time but during the interval you can at least 
tell the SM and see what they want to do.

Where you are, who does the pre-show lamp check?

I do lighting at High Schools from time to time and theres no way I would let a student muck around like this.


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## gafftaper (Dec 11, 2007)

Kind of missed this thread. I agree with everything said. The only thing I would add is if there is an SM screwing up it's important that you protect your butt a little bit because the SM is very likely to blame you for not following the called cues. So, I would be proactive and detail exactly how the SM is screwing up and go to the producer/director and tell them before it becomes a problem and you get fired for someone else's mistakes.


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## soundlight (Dec 11, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> Kind of missed this thread. I agree with everything said. The only thing I would add is if there is an SM screwing up it's important that you protect your butt a little bit because the SM is very likely to blame you for not following the called cues. So, I would be proactive and detail exactly how the SM is screwing up and go to the producer/director and tell them before it becomes a problem and you get fired for someone else's mistakes.



If an SM can't take the blame when he/she doesn't call a cue properly or at all, they shouldn't be an SM.


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## icewolf08 (Dec 11, 2007)

cutlunch said:


> I follow the SM calling bit. But what I don't understand is not watching the show. If you don't watch the show how do you spot when a lamp blows during a show?. What if a light starts flickering?
> You may not actually be able to do anything about it at the time but during the interval you can at least
> tell the SM and see what they want to do.
> Where you are, who does the pre-show lamp check?
> I do lighting at High Schools from time to time and theres no way I would let a student muck around like this.


I find that if I start watching the show (unless it is a bad show) it consumes my attention, and I am far less likely to hear the SM talk to me. Why? mostly because you tune out the things that are not important to you, so when the SM starts talking to the deck crew about an issue with a props hand off and you are concentrating on watching the show, you literally stop hearing the SM. This = bad. Sure, in high school, you shouldn't let your board op play computer games, but I find that having something to do that doesn't consume my attention helps. You should walk backstage for one of our shows, almost everyone on the crew knits or crochets, but apparently it helps with focus and such.


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## cvanp (Dec 11, 2007)

On a production we just had, the Stage Manager obviously called cues and things, but if he was tied up with something on stage (it was a high school production, so he's the go-to guy if something is breaking) then I had the job to call cues for him as a backup. He knew the show well enough where he could call cues over the headset without his book or anything, but it was good to have someone there, just in case someone missed something.


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## gafftaper (Dec 11, 2007)

soundlight said:


> If an SM can't take the blame when he/she doesn't call a cue properly or at all, they shouldn't be an SM.



True. My point is, if it's an ongoing problem, they shouldn't be and SM in the first place. What are they going to say when the Director/producer comes to them and asks why cues are off every night? The person has already shown you they shouldn't be an SM because they can't call a show... do you really think they aren't going to blame the Light OP for the mistakes?


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## thebikingtechie (Dec 11, 2007)

I know people have been saying a lot of the same things but: Ever since I was trained by someone who actually knew what they were doing, and had actually worked on shows that weren't in a little old barn in the middle of vermont, I was taught to always wait for the cue and never do anything without the SM.

There have been times when I have been working on high school dance concerts or in community theatre when I have questioned the SM because they weren't on top of it. There were a few times when I have taken cues on my own, I think they've all been smaller thing, that the SM would not call on a regular basis, and if I didn't do it the lights looked like crap.


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## Unmanedpilot (Dec 20, 2007)

Found this really interesting, my experience consists of working at my church for the service, no SM, and the community theater. When I'm doing either I'm responsible for all the cues. If I miss something its my fault. The SM will remind me if I somehow missed a major cue or took too long but I call the shots on when to go.

I don't have the same experience as most of you and a lot of it makes sense (like the prolonged blackout to fix something) but I usually have to control when things go or don't in the show when it comes to light and sound. It certainly depends on where you are working, and going off the original post, I would defiantly wait for the go, its the SM's fault if its wrong, your just doing your job.


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## gafftaper (Dec 20, 2007)

Unmanedpilot said:


> Found this really interesting, my experience consists of working at my church for the service, no SM, and the community theater. When I'm doing either I'm responsible for all the cues. If I miss something its my fault. The SM will remind me if I somehow missed a major cue or took too long but I call the shots on when to go.
> I don't have the same experience as most of you and a lot of it makes sense (like the prolonged blackout to fix something) but I usually have to control when things go or don't in the show when it comes to light and sound. It certainly depends on where you are working, and going off the original post, I would defiantly wait for the go, its the SM's fault if its wrong, your just doing your job.



This and bikingtechie's post both bring up the important point of local custom and the question "how professional is the theater you are working in"? In a big budget very professional show you absolutely wait for the SM. However when it comes to "Theater in a Vermont barn"... the rules are different. If you think that the local custom is less than professional then by all means have a polite conversation with the SM and ask if they just want you to take the cue on your own. It won't fly on Broadway, but there are lots of places that play by different house rules.


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## Grog12 (Dec 20, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> This and bikingtechie's post both bring up the important point of local custom and the question "how professional is the theater you are working in"? In a big budget very professional show you absolutely wait for the SM. However when it comes to "Theater in a Vermont barn"... the rules are different. If you think that the local custom is less than professional then by all means have a polite conversation with the SM and ask if they just want you to take the cue on your own. It won't fly on Broadway, but there are lots of places that play by different house rules.



I know of at least 2 big budget (multi-million) shows that if you waited for the SM to call a light cue nothing would ever happen because the SM is too busy playing online poker.


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## gafftaper (Dec 21, 2007)

Grog12 said:


> I know of at least 2 big budget (multi-million) shows that if you waited for the SM to call a light cue nothing would ever happen because the SM is too busy playing online poker.



So much for me teaching my students to do it the right way like the pros.


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## Hughesie (Dec 21, 2007)

yeah gaff, i wouldn't tell your students that part........


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## David Ashton (Dec 21, 2007)

We had a similar discussion with regard to manual fades, now on a major choreographed production there is no choice but to follow exactly as called but when running a play or touring a show it is a team effort to give the paying public the best product possible and in most situations I have worked in, the lighting op has the best real view of the action[not video].
I personally watch the entire show, boring or not, in case I lose a light or see a problem and if something goes wrong I will take whatever action to try and ameliorate the problem.
If the actors lose 2 pages and bring on a cue before time or if some catastrophe happens backstage I will carry on doing cues.
The "I'm only following orders" mentality may be all well and good at the Bolshoi Ballet, but on tour I'd rather have someone with a bit of initiative thank you.
In my chequered career I have been truck driver, board op, lighting designer, stage manager and producer and have managed to make mistakes in most of them and I appreciate when someone uses a bit of common sense to salvage a situation.
Actors are not the only ones to ad-lib when things go wrong.
Briefly what some consider to be "professionalism" I consider to be rank amateurism.
Cliche as it is I believe the show should go on and everyone in the team should work together and cover each others problems.


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## icewolf08 (Dec 22, 2007)

I have worked some shows where there were points in the show where the SM had too many other cues going on simultaneously that the board OP would take a series of cues on his own. BUT this was only after a hand off from the SM, and control of the show was returned after that sequence.


allthingstheatre said:


> If the actors lose 2 pages and bring on a cue before time or if some catastrophe happens backstage I will carry on doing cues.
> The "I'm only following orders" mentality may be all well and good at the Bolshoi Ballet, but on tour I'd rather have someone with a bit of initiative thank you.


Every SM that I have worked for would rather their board ops and flymen, and deck crew not take initiative. It is one thing if a light cue is misplaced, but if the motion control operator goes "Oh crap they just skipped 4 pages, better take the next cue" people could get seriously injured. It isn't up to the operator to figure out what to do, for all you know the actors could jump back those four pages and fix things, then you are hosed if you have started taking cues.

In a situation where the SM is not sitting in the booth with a full stage view, they usually end up with a fairly comprehensive CCTV setup. Many theatres will provide standard and IR full stage cameras, and often they will provide cameras for danger areas. Even in the booth many SMs have all of these video angles.

Sure, there are situations where someone has to make a decision, and everyone involved in the production of a show should have common sense. But while everyone common sense may lead to a valid solution to a problem, if there is not one unified voice the problem will just be aggravated. 

Any scripted show that has been teched, cued, and so forth has a way that it is supposed to run. Live theatre is a hierarchy, and it has to be that way or you run into chaos. Shows would never work if every department operated autonomously.

This is not to say that there are not some parts of the entertainment industry where different departments do operate more independently, but for live theatre the SM is the law. If the SM isn't doing his or her job then I would take it up with their supervisor, no questions asked. The SM is in charge of making sure the show happens the way the director and designers envisioned it and if they are not doing that then you have big problems.


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## Diarmuid (Dec 22, 2007)

Personally, I work most of the time as a Stage Manager, and I will always prefer an operator to wait, or ask me instead of just second guessing my calls. For example, in the last show I did, during one of the performances we had to call a doctor twice, due to first a crew member and then a cast member having fainted. In those circumstances, you don't always have the time to explain what is going on to the operators, because you are busy trying to check that everything is ok, with the people who have fainted. At the same time you are still there to remain on the book, and thus it is the job of people around you to look after the 'casualty'.
Basically, I would say that if you think you should be standing-by for a cue, then ask the SM, however in emergency circumstances, things do have to change during a show, and that is why you shouldn't take a cue unless its called. Also the key thing to remember is that a designer may have changed the placement of a cue, and there is no obligation to tell you this..


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## David Ashton (Dec 22, 2007)

We don't see "Icewolfs" palaces on tour, the SM is generally in prompt corner with a limited view and at best a single video monitor, now pulling quotes out of context does little to further an argument, the suggestion that I am saying everyone should do their own thing is preposterous, however if a board operator working for me had missed a lamp blowing while playing a game and left an actor in the dark when he could easily have filled in with another circuit, would certainly get a 'go' from me, permanently.
If I couldn't get an operator to take an interest in doing the job right I might as well replace him with a voice recognition device and save the wages.
Students reading this, think for yourselves, if you knowingly stuff up a show when a little common sense could avoid it, most reasonable SM's and directors will appreciate a little intelligent initiative. 
As a rule you should always do as the SM says, and rules are made to be broken when the need arises.


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## soundlight (Dec 22, 2007)

allthingstheatre said:


> however if a board operator working for me had missed a lamp blowing while playing a game and left an actor in the dark when he could easily have filled in with another circuit, would certainly get a 'go' from me, permanently.


All of the places that I work/have worked in college, in summer stock, and on work calls, even these sorts of things are at the discretion of the SM. The SM tells you when or when not fo fix something. Many places that I've been, it's the board op that has the craptastic view, and the SM who is staring out the window from the booth or looking right onstage and at a video monitor from an FOH feed and sitting off stage left or right.


icewolf08 said:


> for live theatre the SM is the law. If the SM isn't doing his or her job then I would take it up with their supervisor, no questions asked. The SM is in charge of making sure the show happens the way the director and designers envisioned it and if they are not doing that then you have big problems.


Exactly. The SM is the person that is in control. If the SM is not in control, dozens of things could go wrong. Say that there are a few critical cues in different departments that happen during a line messup on stage. If board ops were to fix the cues on their own, some might take the cue and some might not. This is a huge error. This is why the SM should correct all cues and not the board ops.


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## David Ashton (Dec 22, 2007)

95+% of the touring venues have good control room/Bio boxes, out front centre.
SM is on-stage prompt side and I have SM'd hundreds of shows.
Theatre, especially touring, is high pressure and things go wrong and need to work for the sake of the customer, which why we exist, and playing the blame game is futile, a tech who can only push a go button is a waste of space on a tour


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## icewolf08 (Dec 22, 2007)

allthings, it isn't that I don't agree with what you are saying, but I wouldn't even try to fix a cue gone awry without the SM's approval first. Why? Because in the heat of the moment if you key in the fix just a little wrong you can be hosed. I have done it before, where lights came up in the complete wrong color and the SM asked me to fix it, and in the slim seconds I had, I probably had a "fat fingered moment" where something else got captured and then didn't go out in the next blackout. And this was with the blessing of the SM. 

I have run hundreds of shows, and I know what I am doing. I am a good programmer, but sometimes mistakes happen, and frankly I would rather have a blown lamp than an extra fixture track through a blackout. Sure, you have to pay attention and you have to know how and when to reset a moving light if it gets stuck such that it will be unobtrusive to the audience, but I would still get an OK from the SM first. Usually (though not always) the cast is smart enough that if they are truly standing in the dark they will take a few steps over into the light. Most plots have three or four different systems focused to each area, so unless the actor is only in a single special, if one lamp goes out you just aren't in that bad shape that you need to be turning on more lights.


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## derekleffew (Dec 22, 2007)

charcoaldabs said:


> ...I'm thinking maybe I should take tracking off. If it confuses me, I'm sure it confuses everyone. Edit: Unless someone wants to explain it... ?


This might be tough for you to grasp, having never worked with Piano Boards, but I bet you're up to it. Tracking, when used and understood, makes a world of sense, particularly for moving lights. In 1975, when Tharon Musser and others were consulting with Century-Strand on the development of the Light Palette, they said they wanted a console that thinks like a Lighting Designer thinks. On a Piano Board, when you put a dimmer at say 50% in a cue, the handle stays there until a different cue says to change it, regardless of how many cues there are between. So if in Q1 you bring the blue cyc up to 50% and it says that way until intermission, Q99. Cues2-98 do other things, but never affect the cyc. Then the director tells you he/she wants the cyc red during the first act. So in Q1 you record the "blue cyc" at zero and the "red cyc" at 50%. Make sure that Q99 takes the "red cyc" to 0%. No need to change anything about cues 2-98. Almost all console displays use colors to differentiate between a channel that has tracked from a previous cue and a channel that moves in the current cue. (I don't know Strand's code). Also, for blackouts and other major cues, it's a good idea to insert a "blocking" cue (Colortran used to call this a "clean-up" cue, Express(ion) calls this an "AllFade). This is a cue that inserts a "hard value" for every channel, and thus stops all tracking. A similar outcome, for one time use, can be achieved using "record Q-only."

The best explanation of tracking, especially for moving lights, I have found is in _The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook_, Brad Schiller. Focal Press, 2004. One more thing: don't get tracking confused with HTP and LTP, they are similar, but different concepts.


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## OnTheRock (Dec 22, 2007)

charcoaldabs said:


> That killed me on this last show... killed me. I've learned my lesson though... record things as subs, then start with new fresh cues, and use the subs to record the new cues... with how many changes the dept head wanted... in the middle of the shows, everything got messed up. Not to mention the number of "impossible" things she wanted done. Impossible in that I had to do like 30 keystrokes in 5 seconds, record, and GO next cue. She doesn't follow that once the cue is recorded, using the master and channel faders isn't gonna help. I'm thinking maybe I should take tracking off. If it confuses me, I'm sure it confuses everyone. Edit: Unless someone wants to explain it... ?



On some lighting software, you can record various effects and store them with a name (like an oscillating light pattern). The same can be done with groups of lights (typically run with submasters), but saved with an easily remembered name. 

I do a lot of pre-show prep to put together these various patterns. The lighting software I use has the ability to record a list of light channels, a list of effects, and a list of light groups, or any combination of these in each cue. Cues are then very easy to create, simply by adding in named washes, named effects, and named groups. Then during techs, and even during shows, it becomes a no brainer to add these elements to a cue or remove certain of these elements from a cue, depending upon the whim of the director, SM, or me, the LD.

By default, the software has tracking off. Which kind of makes sense in my scenario because cues are so easy to create, and can even be created off line, which I did for one show, while sitting in the bar one night filling my stomach with beer and the cues with pre-designed special effects. Try and take a lighting board into a bar and create a light show! (I run my shows off a laptop).


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## David Ashton (Dec 23, 2007)

Of course in complex shows you can be helpless to do much in a tricky situation, my comments have been exaggerated for dramatic effect but my original concerns about the mentality of "I just push the go button, even though I know its in the wrong place", remain
In your average pros arch play you can generally find a light to fill in a space, if you spot the problem quickly and not at the end of your game. 
Of course you talk to your SM assuming they are available.
If you don't want to be replaced with voice recognition software it is in your interest to assist your SM in a crisis with strategies to get around problems, for example what do you do when the intercom breaks down?
Rules like "do nothing unless told by the SM" are all well and good for 99.9% of the time but don't let it paralyze you in either a life threatening situation or a show spoiling situation if you are competent to act.


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## Grog12 (Dec 23, 2007)

charcoaldabs said:


> That killed me on this last show... killed me. I've learned my lesson though... record things as subs, then start with new fresh cues, and use the subs to record the new cues... with how many changes the dept head wanted... in the middle of the shows, everything got messed up. Not to mention the number of "impossible" things she wanted done. Impossible in that I had to do like 30 keystrokes in 5 seconds, record, and GO next cue. She doesn't follow that once the cue is recorded, using the master and channel faders isn't gonna help. I'm thinking maybe I should take tracking off. If it confuses me, I'm sure it confuses everyone. Edit: Unless someone wants to explain it... ?


Record Q only is your friend...and derricks right...tracking is a god send.


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## icewolf08 (Dec 23, 2007)

allthingstheatre said:


> If you don't want to be replaced with voice recognition software it is in your interest to assist your SM in a crisis with strategies to get around problems, for example what do you do when the intercom breaks down?


I have actually had this happen, and it is for that exact reason that our SM has told all the ASMs and board ops to keep their cell phones on so that in the event of a comms failure the show doesn't come to a halt. We of course would not rely on phones for shows with automation, but many of the simpler shows we do it can work for while someone tries to fix comms. We actually had to do it once, thankfully only on invited audience night, but it worked quite smoothly.


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## avkid (Dec 23, 2007)

charcoaldabs said:


> To anyone who has considered using this: This should be a last resort. GMRs/FRS (whatever the acronyms are) is pretty bad. The Board Op couldn't hear what I said when I cued him, other than the radio made noise, so he better GO cue.


Absolutely not, our regular means of communication is 10 Uniden GMRS handheld units.
You must use sub codes!!!!!


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## Sparkinium (Dec 24, 2007)

The problem with GMRS is that it requires a license to operate. If you can get the license, it's not as much of a problem. The advantage, of course, is that GMRS uses (I believe) a higher output power, so your signal will be clearer. Not to mention that less radios use GMRS, so you're less likely to get people on your frequencies.


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## gafftaper (Dec 24, 2007)

I thought the discussion of Tracking was an important topic that should have it's own thread so I started one here with a link to a great article from PLSN.


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## Serendipity (Aug 6, 2008)

Most of this has been said before, but I agree with spelling G-O. I haven't heard the fish thing before, but I'm tucking it away for future use.

I've been on both ends of this before, and it's better to listen to the SM:
- My first show as a light board op, I had thought about this myself. The SM had a habit of getting ahead of the cues (it was a dance concert) and I asked the teacher in charge and she had agreed that you go when told. The SM called a cue that I knew was a blackout when the second to last q of the piece, but I went. He learned from it, it wasn't too drastic, everything was okay.
- I've been the SM and had a board op who would argue with me over cues. It drove me insane, and out of 10 or so cues disputed, half of one they would be partially correct about. They would refuse to go on my cue, and would other times ask if it was go when we still had pages to go. If I'm the SM, I would rather have the board op listen, and if something goes wrong, I know it's my fault, and I know I'm responsible to fix it. Don't argue with the SM when a "Go!" is given. (The joys of educational theater...)

So, always listen to the SM. You may know better, and I'm sorry whoever is lame, but it's your job.



Edit: If something goes wrong and the SM asks you to fix it, then do so. :] If you don't need to have the SM say exactly what buttons to push (IE the actor's box is normally SL but for some reason it's SR and you're told to sneak the SR special, and you can do that without the SM telling you "S8 More Softkeys, S8 More Softkeys, S3 Sneak, Ch 70 at FF"[sup]1[/sup] then that's awesome.

[sup]1[/sup]I don't know if that's actually the soft keys for sneak on any board, I was just trying to put an example in.

Hope I made sense (or two-cents).


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## cdub260 (Aug 14, 2008)

Diarmuid said:


> ...Also the key thing to remember is that a designer may have changed the placement of a cue, and there is no obligation to tell you this..



I'm going to have to disagree with you here. I'll grant that it has been a while since the last time a designer or SM did this to me, but moving a cue can sometimes involve reprogramming the board or in the case of deck crew, affect his ability to take the cue at all. At the Pageant, the Director actually calls the show, and I've had instances where she has instructed our board op to change the timing of a cue where it affects my ability to do my job. In most of these instances I've been able to get on the headset right then and there, and say "If you do that I won't have time to set the lights up for the next piece." She may still decide to make the change, but at least I've had the opportunity to inform her of the consequences.

My point is that any of your crew who are affected by a change in the cues needs to be kept in the loop. You, the SM may be in charge, but you also need to trust your people to know their jobs. Assuming you're not working with a bunch of incompetents, this will make your job easier, as trust is a two way street. A Stage Manager who listens to feedback from the crew will be respected by the crew.


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## Spikesgirl (Aug 15, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> A Stage Manager who listens to feedback from the crew will be respected by the crew.




Ye, thank you! As a SM, I try to always communicate with my techs. Communication is vital to a smooth running show. Listening to any feedback is the best way to make sure that everything is running well for the deck and booth crews. 

We have one SM who seriously believes she is GOD and has a heckuva time finding anyone to run crew for her. She literally screamed at people last time because of a missed cue and don't even get me started when a prop actually broke on stage. You would have thought that we'd engineered the entire thing just to make her look bad. 

If I'm running a sound or light board, I take the cue when it's called. Since the SM and board op sit beside one another in our theater, it's easy to ask. At the same time, I would never yell at an op for taking a cue, for whatever reason.


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## tech2000 (Aug 20, 2008)

Charc said:


> Really?
> 
> I do in fact use subcodes. The issue is the clarity of signal. What is the transmission range you guys are using? Is it unobstructed?



My school theater just got 5 icom radios and they are great. For one reason, they are wireless and do not require the use of a base station, are more reliable in an emergency situation, and the clarity of the signal is pretty good to. In some locations, static will come and go when there is no air traffic because of interference from other electronics in the theater, but otherwise they are perfect. You just have to make sure you are on a frequency no one else around is using, which shouldn't be much of a problem.


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## philhaney (Aug 20, 2008)

I'm the flyman for the theater where I work and we're not like most theaters out there. What I mean by this is that most of our lighting, FX, etc. is designed and produced in-house. We also don't have a traditional theater structure or chain-of-command. The director calls the show and the SM has other duties.

So, my answer to your question of taking a cue on your own may be a little skewed from the acceptable norm. 

In my case, I wait for the Director to give me a "go" before taking a cue with one exception. If a portion of the show is very busy for those of us in headset-land, after a couple of run-throughs I will ask, "Do you want me to just take that?" 

Edit - Please let me add this: The director at our venue is very respectful of the stage crew and appreciates appropriate feedback ("If you make that timing change I can't complete this transition") and we are also allowed "initiative leeway" when taking cues if doing so would spoil the show or put someone in harms way. Welcome to live theater!


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## philhaney (Aug 20, 2008)

allthingstheatre said:


> ...If you don't want to be replaced with voice recognition software it is in your interest to assist your SM in a crisis with strategies to get around problems, for example what do you do when the intercom breaks down?



We have a hard-wired 12-volt lighting system in our venue. The director, SM, sound board op, and narrator all sit in a booth at the back of house. The conductor is in the pit, and light board op is off stage left up on the mezzanine. They all have push buttons that control a lamp at their station and the director's and SM's stations, too. The director and SM have buttons for everyone.

If the intercom system goes down, we just "flash" each other as required.....


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## Serendipity (Aug 20, 2008)

philhaney said:


> We have a hard-wired 12-volt lighting system in our venue. The director, SM, sound board op, and narrator all sit in a booth at the back of house. The conductor is in the pit, and light board op is off stage left up on the mezzanine. They all have push buttons that control a lamp at their station and the director's and SM's stations, too. The director and SM have buttons for everyone.
> 
> If the intercom system goes down, we just "flash" each other as required.....



And the followspot op is quite confident after a month and a half of shows, she knows where her cues are.


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## cdub260 (Aug 20, 2008)

philhaney said:


> We have a hard-wired 12-volt lighting system in our venue. The director, SM, sound board op, and narrator all sit in a booth at the back of house. The conductor is in the pit, and light board op is off stage left up on the mezzanine. They all have push buttons that control a lamp at their station and the director's and SM's stations, too. The director and SM have buttons for everyone.
> 
> If the intercom system goes down, we just "flash" each other as required.....



What's this we just "flash" each other thing? You don't even have a button! Nether do I. Its bad enough that I have to wear a leash (headset) all night. Do you really think I want a flash button too?


Serendipity said:


> And the followspot op is quite confident after a month and a half of shows, she knows where her cues are.



I would certainly hope so! I'd hate to have to train a replacement this far into the run.

Of course the dangers of taking a cue on your own, especially when your show has a long run, as ours does, are complacency and overconfidence. People get to know their jobs so well that they get lazy. Then they start to make mistakes.

Or am I the only one?


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## Serendipity (Aug 20, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> What's this we just "flash" each other thing? You don't even have a button! Nether do I. Its bad enough that I have to wear a leash (headset) all night. Do you really think I want a flash button too?



I don't have a flash button. (But as I pointed out, I doubt I need one. It'd just be another button for someone to get confused over.) Plus, as we've already discussed, I trained the raccoons to carry messages for me.
It makes sense that you don't have one, you have to run all over, as opposed to a board op who (in theory, I hope something isn't that wrong if headsets are out) stays in the same area.


cdub260 said:


> Of course the dangers of taking a cue on your own, especially when your show has a long run, as ours does, are complacency and overconfidence. People get to know their jobs so well that they get lazy. Then they start to make mistakes.


Yes, I'm going to mistake my cue for followspotting Stella (A Burro) with some random audience member walking in to the bowl.


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## philhaney (Aug 20, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> ...Or am I the only one?




Yes, you're the only one. 



Serendipity said:


> I don't have a flash button. (But as I pointed out, I doubt I need one. It'd just be another button for someone to get confused over.) Plus, as we've already discussed, I trained the raccoons to carry messages for me.



You have raccoons???

'Course, I can just cough mine.....


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## philhaney (Aug 20, 2008)

Serendipity said:


> Yes, I'm going to mistake my cue for followspotting Stella (A Burro) with some random audience member walking in to the bowl.



I've seen worse. Just ask.....


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## Sony (Aug 22, 2008)

Personally I feel that the only time you should take a cue on your own is when the SM is dealing with a real emergency and cannot physically call the cue or specifically tells you to take the cue yourself due to technical difficulties or somesuch. Otherwise if they are just ADDing out and slacking or something like that then you don't take the cue....it helps them learn to pay attention when they screw up and get crap for it from the Director.


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