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.
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Originally Posted by allthingstheatre
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.
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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.