I'm sorry but I think this one is on more than an SM ignoring things. A conscientious board op should (a) know the show, (b) know what the LD did when and why, (c) know where the cues go and why they're there and (d) know what's coming next, (e) know what should be happening, and above all KEEP AWAKE. Granted: if the
system calls for the board op taking his/her cues from the SM, good, listen for them and take them as they're called. But keep awake and if the SM drops dead, do things when he/she knows they're supposed to be done.
@JonCarter I find myself badly torn on this one. Like yourself, I grew up with that same logic. It was SO INSTILLED in me, when I arrived at Stratford, Ontario's Stratford Shakespearean Festival as their IA head of sound, one hot afternoon in their pre-air conditioned days and a heavily costumed lower
level performer feinted and fell
face first on the
stage immediately prior to a scene change, I rolled my 1/2" four
track music right on
cue even though my 'Go' had never been called. My
stand-by had been called, along with the lighting cues and cue-lights for various others, but the SM, in the haste of dealing with not only getting the scene changed, and the furniture moved that the underling should have been moving but she also needed to have two minions
return and carry off their cohort before the lights could be called up for the following scene and the show continue. All went well and life went on. During the
changeover between the matinee and the evening production, the afternoon production's SM, Miss. Colleen Stephenson, chatted me up and asked if she had in fact called my go. I answered no, but not to worry about it. Not only did she not worry about it but she thanked me, clarified that I had consciously taken the
cue on my own without her 'Go' and wrote me up in the Equity show report for 'Executing a
cue without instruction.' Of course there was no further recourse or explanation as to either why I did so OR why she'd failed to
call the
cue. In all my years at Stratford, I believe it was the ONLY time I was ever formally written up in a show report. Getting written up in a show report is a sin and my sin still stings some four decades later. That was how I learned the wisdom of a long standing Stratford IA saying: "No go, no show." If your go is not called, you DON'T execute your
cue. Speaking in her own defense, I was told there could have easily been extenuating circumstances beyond my knowledge and no time for further explanations on the SM's part.
Bottom Line: I was wrong and the lesson was whipped into me. Colleen was right. I still remember learning my lesson in 1977 and it STILL stings forty years later. I suspect
@JonCarter we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one as I'm not feeling a need for further admonishment yet. I did have another similar experience in 1991 or '92 in Hamilton's
Theatre Aquarius when the SM called my standbys for
house to half,
house out,
house curtain out (It was electrically operated from my booth) and lights up for the opening
cue. The curtain flew revealing a dimly lit
preset in which a lone actor entered and pulled the chain on a
practical prop '
ghost light' which was my
cue to hit 'Go' illuminating the
ghost light along with all the supplementary scene lighting and the show to begin.
On opening night, something distracted the SM and the sound of my clicking the LP90's loud 'Go'
button snapped her awake and she was immediately yammering in my ear about my having taken my
cue before she called it. I could barely get her to stop yammering and look out her window in time to
call the next
cue for additional cast members to enter. AGAIN, approximately 14 years later, I was written up in an Equity show report. At least this time the SM was kind enough to add a few extra explanatory phrases. No
@JonCarter , I don't think you're going to have much luck swaying me over to your side on this one.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
