I'm curious.
Out of the couple dozen shows I've either LD'ed or board-op'ed, none of them have been called shows, where the stage manager, on book, calls cues for me to hit at a certain time. I know how, that's not an issue, but everything I've done has been me, watching the action, following a script, hitting things at certain moments.
Through this I've come to view board-op as more of an artistic position. A moment or a joke can either succeed beautifully or fail thunderously dependent upon timing. A light left on a split-second too long, or a cue not pulled up soon enough can kill momentum, regardless of what the performers do. The board op, IMHO, should know this, and be able to follow a show and know what works and what doesn't. Perhaps that's the designer in me, I don't know.
Thoughts?
Out of the couple dozen shows I've either LD'ed or board-op'ed, none of them have been called shows, where the stage manager, on book, calls cues for me to hit at a certain time. I know how, that's not an issue, but everything I've done has been me, watching the action, following a script, hitting things at certain moments.
Through this I've come to view board-op as more of an artistic position. A moment or a joke can either succeed beautifully or fail thunderously dependent upon timing. A light left on a split-second too long, or a cue not pulled up soon enough can kill momentum, regardless of what the performers do. The board op, IMHO, should know this, and be able to follow a show and know what works and what doesn't. Perhaps that's the designer in me, I don't know.
Thoughts?