I need everyones input...

[Oobleck1441]

Any help would be great. I have recently had the torch passed to me from My director of where I would like to call the show. Either in the back of the Aud or backstage.

In the back of the Aud there is no booth. I would be at a table with my book, my callights, and headset with a clear view of the stage from the back. I am just worried that I will try not to make a lot of noise while calling the show

However, Backstage Is a small 10X10 area that has a view across the floor of the with a view of all the actors on stage and a view to the other wing. Also I would have a closed circut view of the stage from the back of the Aud. i would think it would be easier to call from back stage where I wont need to watch My noise as much and I would have more room to be organized.

I know this is a very vague idea and I have tried to fit all of this info into a couple paragraphs but any help or advice you can give would be very helpful and appreciative.

[Van]

Normally I would say "By all means call it from out front" but since there is no booth per se and it sounds like you have a clear view of the stage it might just be better to call from the posistion backstage, as long as two criteria are met.
1. Can you see all the stage ? a clear unobstructed view of the entire stage. both during the action and blackouts.
2. Are you capable of running the show from backstage without getting caught up in and Backstage drama ? What i mean is, is everyone around youi capable of handling possible emergencies without freaking out and running immediately to the S.M. who is Oh so conviently located backstage.

I have to agree that I think it would be distracting for you to be in the house with no booth. Even a makeshift barrier with some windows and flats would be better than just setting up a tech table and letting fly with the cues out there in the open.

[len]

It's been a few years since I did a "called" play (ok, like 30) but I remember it was always done from the wing. The booth had plenty of room, but there was a desk stage right for the SM, who always called it. They had com to the booth, the other wing, props, make-up, costumes, etc., IIRC.

And let's face it, you have to call it from where it's going to make you most comfortable. Since there's no booth, I'd think you'd be more "on display" but the choice should be yours.

[Oobleck1441]

Originally Posted by Van

Normally I would say "By all means call it from out front" but since there is no booth per se and it sounds like you have a clear view of the stage it might just be better to call from the posistion backstage, as long as two criteria are met.
1. Can you see all the stage ? a clear unobstructed view of the entire stage. both during the action and blackouts.
2. Are you capable of running the show from backstage without getting caught up in and Backstage drama ? What i mean is, is everyone around youi capable of handling possible emergencies without freaking out and running immediately to the S.M. who is Oh so conviently located backstage.
I have to agree that I think it would be distracting for you to be in the house with no booth. Even a makeshift barrier with some windows and flats would be better than just setting up a tech table and letting fly with the cues out there in the open.

The wing I am in isn't really at stage level it is about 5 feet below.. This is nto our "main" wing i guess you can say. Most backstage techies work from the other wing. Plus there will be a backstage manager who can handle any quick problems with communication or the director and myself.. Thanks for the help!

[Footer]

I would say go with the FOH and keep it down. How close to the nearest audience memeber will you be? Is the show a musical, or a strait play? How many visual cues do you anticipate? How good is the CCTV?

[TheHeadhunter]

I'd say that if you can tell / hear / see whats going on from backstage, call it from there because then you can concentrate on your job, not on if the audience is being distracted by you talking or the lights you are reading by. Of course, if you don't et a clear enough picture of the show from backstage to call it efficently, FOH is the only option.

[SocksOnly]

I'd do it from backstage. That way, if you have a problem with mics, you don't have to make the mad dash up to the stage to fix them. We usually set up several people with wireless mics set on our own private channel- the stage manager, someone on sound, someone on light, maybe flyrail and spot if we have enough. That way, different accoustics can be heard or different views of the stage can be seen.

It doesn't take much for a headset (or mics, in my case) to pick up a voice- if you just murmur "standby on cue 27" or something, you should be fine. We got away with having a small table on stage left with a little light for that sort of thing.

[gafftaper]

Originally Posted by TheHeadhunter

I'd say that if you can tell / hear / see whats going on from backstage, call it from there because then you can concentrate on your job, not on if the audience is being distracted by you talking or the lights you are reading by. Of course, if you don't et a clear enough picture of the show from backstage to call it efficently, FOH is the only option.

Headhunter stole my thoughts word for word. You've got enough to deal with without being worried about being keeping your voice and light down so you don't distract the audience. As long as you've got a good view from backstage stay there.

[Van]

Originally Posted by SocksOnly

I'd do it from backstage. That way, if you have a problem with mics, you don't have to make the mad dash up to the stage to fix them. We usually set up several people with wireless mics set on our own private channel- the stage manager, someone on sound, someone on light, maybe flyrail and spot if we have enough. That way, different accoustics can be heard or different views of the stage can be seen.

It doesn't take much for a headset (or mics, in my case) to pick up a voice- if you just murmur "standby on cue 27" or something, you should be fine. We got away with having a small table on stage left with a little light for that sort of thing.

While I agree with you from a sound standpoint I haveto say that the stagemanager , when calling a show, shouldn't be making a mad dash anywhere to fix anything. When it comes to Professional Theatre you will find 99% of Stage Manager want to be in the booth, out front, where they can see everything. Unless you have an infrared capable video monitoring system backstage just isn't an option. But in the case stated in this thread I have to say backstage is the better option as it sounds like there just isn't facility to make a foh calling posistion practical.
I think a lot of people get confused between calling a theatrical show < play/musical> as opposed to calling a rock show or presentational show like a paegent etc. Often you can get away with calling a presentational show or paegent from backstage. In the theatre, you will find stage managers in the professional world will want, exclusivley to be calling from where they can see all the action for proper cue timming etc.

[psmcat]

as a sm, i have called shows from all kinds of practical, bizare, and outrageous places within theatres. the important thing is that you need to be comfortable. calling a show is taxing enough without feeling like a fish out of water in your calling environment!!! It sounds to me that you would be better off backstage. I do have a couple of suggestions. 1-since you have a backstage sm, assign them to the opossite side of the stage (this will enable you to watch your side, while their primary responsibility will be for the other side.) this does not mean that s/he can't "float" between sided, it just helps deliniate responsibilities. 2-if you cannot see the stage well enough to call the show accurately, set up a video camers foh. train the camera for a full stage shot. your local radio shack has inexpensive wireless transmitters and receivers - for home use - that can be used to link the camera to a small tv backstage. the wireless units work very well, are under $50, and will transmit a fairly great distance.

if all of your effeorts to accuratly view the production fail, you can always rely on your board ops to take visual qs - you would still give stadbys, just not goes- for things like turning on practicals. you can also talk to your directos and designers about creating qs around text rather than blocking.

hope this helps.