Here is my take on this type of situation. What happened to the OP (in this case original poster) was totally inexcusable. It doesn't matter who you are or what experience you have, the LD designs the show, and that is what goes on
stage each night unless there is some catastrophic failure of the
system. A board op is there to program the
console and then to push the GO
button. The board op should know enough about the
console to fix any issues that come up, and they should be familiar with the position and focus of the lights to ensure that they are correct at
channel check. However, the board op should never change the show from the original design unless there is some issue in a given performance, like if you go into a
cue that is supposed to have a special and it doesn't come up, then I would expect the board op to be able to bring up something else suitable.
This does not mean that a board op can't have creative input into a show. I program for all of our shows each season (sometimes I get students in, and I don't always push the go
button during the run), and you start to get a feel for designers the more you york with them. So I know that some designers welcome input or suggestions. Sometimes they get to some
point and seem stuck, and if you as the board op can say "well what if you do XYZ?" it can be helpful. You just have to know that your LD won't get offended if you offer ideas, because some will. However, this can be a double edged sword. I have offered up suggestions that have just lead to more work for me, though the shows come out looking really good.