To take a cue or not take a cue, that is the question

[Serendipity]

Most of this has been said before, but I agree with spelling G-O. I haven't heard the fish thing before, but I'm tucking it away for future use.

I've been on both ends of this before, and it's better to listen to the SM:
- My first show as a light board op, I had thought about this myself. The SM had a habit of getting ahead of the cues (it was a dance concert) and I asked the teacher in charge and she had agreed that you go when told. The SM called a cue that I knew was a blackout when the second to last q of the piece, but I went. He learned from it, it wasn't too drastic, everything was okay.
- I've been the SM and had a board op who would argue with me over cues. It drove me insane, and out of 10 or so cues disputed, half of one they would be partially correct about. They would refuse to go on my cue, and would other times ask if it was go when we still had pages to go. If I'm the SM, I would rather have the board op listen, and if something goes wrong, I know it's my fault, and I know I'm responsible to fix it. Don't argue with the SM when a "Go!" is given. (The joys of educational theater...)

So, always listen to the SM. You may know better, and I'm sorry whoever is lame, but it's your job.



Edit: If something goes wrong and the SM asks you to fix it, then do so. :] If you don't need to have the SM say exactly what buttons to push (IE the actor's box is normally SL but for some reason it's SR and you're told to sneak the SR special, and you can do that without the SM telling you "S8 More Softkeys, S8 More Softkeys, S3 Sneak, Ch 70 at FF"[sup]1[/sup] then that's awesome.

[sup]1[/sup]I don't know if that's actually the soft keys for sneak on any board, I was just trying to put an example in.

Hope I made sense (or two-cents).

 

[cdub260]

...Also the key thing to remember is that a designer may have changed the placement of a cue, and there is no obligation to tell you this..

I'm going to have to disagree with you here. I'll grant that it has been a while since the last time a designer or SM did this to me, but moving a cue can sometimes involve reprogramming the board or in the case of deck crew, affect his ability to take the cue at all. At the Pageant, the Director actually calls the show, and I've had instances where she has instructed our board op to change the timing of a cue where it affects my ability to do my job. In most of these instances I've been able to get on the headset right then and there, and say "If you do that I won't have time to set the lights up for the next piece." She may still decide to make the change, but at least I've had the opportunity to inform her of the consequences.

My point is that any of your crew who are affected by a change in the cues needs to be kept in the loop. You, the SM may be in charge, but you also need to trust your people to know their jobs. Assuming you're not working with a bunch of incompetents, this will make your job easier, as trust is a two way street. A Stage Manager who listens to feedback from the crew will be respected by the crew.

 

[Spikesgirl]

A Stage Manager who listens to feedback from the crew will be respected by the crew.

Ye, thank you! As a SM, I try to always communicate with my techs. Communication is vital to a smooth running show. Listening to any feedback is the best way to make sure that everything is running well for the deck and booth crews.

We have one SM who seriously believes she is GOD and has a heckuva time finding anyone to run crew for her. She literally screamed at people last time because of a missed cue and don't even get me started when a prop actually broke on stage. You would have thought that we'd engineered the entire thing just to make her look bad.

If I'm running a sound or light board, I take the cue when it's called. Since the SM and board op sit beside one another in our theater, it's easy to ask. At the same time, I would never yell at an op for taking a cue, for whatever reason.

 

[tech2000]

Really?

I do in fact use subcodes. The issue is the clarity of signal. What is the transmission range you guys are using? Is it unobstructed?

My school theater just got 5 icom radios and they are great. For one reason, they are wireless and do not require the use of a base station, are more reliable in an emergency situation, and the clarity of the signal is pretty good to. In some locations, static will come and go when there is no air traffic because of interference from other electronics in the theater, but otherwise they are perfect. You just have to make sure you are on a frequency no one else around is using, which shouldn't be much of a problem.

 

[philhaney]

I'm the flyman for the theater where I work and we're not like most theaters out there. What I mean by this is that most of our lighting, FX, etc. is designed and produced in-house. We also don't have a traditional theater structure or chain-of-command. The director calls the show and the SM has other duties.

So, my answer to your question of taking a cue on your own may be a little skewed from the acceptable norm.

In my case, I wait for the Director to give me a "go" before taking a cue with one exception. If a portion of the show is very busy for those of us in headset-land, after a couple of run-throughs I will ask, "Do you want me to just take that?"

Edit - Please let me add this: The director at our venue is very respectful of the stage crew and appreciates appropriate feedback ("If you make that timing change I can't complete this transition") and we are also allowed "initiative leeway" when taking cues if doing so would spoil the show or put someone in harms way. Welcome to live theater!

 

[philhaney]

...If you don't want to be replaced with voice recognition software it is in your interest to assist your SM in a crisis with strategies to get around problems, for example what do you do when the intercom breaks down?

We have a hard-wired 12-volt lighting system in our venue. The director, SM, sound board op, and narrator all sit in a booth at the back of house. The conductor is in the pit, and light board op is off stage left up on the mezzanine. They all have push buttons that control a lamp at their station and the director's and SM's stations, too. The director and SM have buttons for everyone.

If the intercom system goes down, we just "flash" each other as required.....

 

[Serendipity]

We have a hard-wired 12-volt lighting system in our venue. The director, SM, sound board op, and narrator all sit in a booth at the back of house. The conductor is in the pit, and light board op is off stage left up on the mezzanine. They all have push buttons that control a lamp at their station and the director's and SM's stations, too. The director and SM have buttons for everyone.

If the intercom system goes down, we just "flash" each other as required.....

And the followspot op is quite confident after a month and a half of shows, she knows where her cues are.

 

[cdub260]

We have a hard-wired 12-volt lighting system in our venue. The director, SM, sound board op, and narrator all sit in a booth at the back of house. The conductor is in the pit, and light board op is off stage left up on the mezzanine. They all have push buttons that control a lamp at their station and the director's and SM's stations, too. The director and SM have buttons for everyone.

If the intercom system goes down, we just "flash" each other as required.....

What's this we just "flash" each other thing? You don't even have a button! Nether do I. Its bad enough that I have to wear a leash (headset) all night. Do you really think I want a flash button too?

And the followspot op is quite confident after a month and a half of shows, she knows where her cues are.

I would certainly hope so! I'd hate to have to train a replacement this far into the run.

Of course the dangers of taking a cue on your own, especially when your show has a long run, as ours does, are complacency and overconfidence. People get to know their jobs so well that they get lazy. Then they start to make mistakes.

Or am I the only one?

 

[Serendipity]

What's this we just "flash" each other thing? You don't even have a button! Nether do I. Its bad enough that I have to wear a leash (headset) all night. Do you really think I want a flash button too?

I don't have a flash button. (But as I pointed out, I doubt I need one. It'd just be another button for someone to get confused over.) Plus, as we've already discussed, I trained the raccoons to carry messages for me.
It makes sense that you don't have one, you have to run all over, as opposed to a board op who (in theory, I hope something isn't that wrong if headsets are out) stays in the same area.

Of course the dangers of taking a cue on your own, especially when your show has a long run, as ours does, are complacency and overconfidence. People get to know their jobs so well that they get lazy. Then they start to make mistakes.

Yes, I'm going to mistake my cue for followspotting Stella (A Burro) with some random audience member walking in to the bowl.

 

[philhaney]

...Or am I the only one?

Yes, you're the only one.

I don't have a flash button. (But as I pointed out, I doubt I need one. It'd just be another button for someone to get confused over.) Plus, as we've already discussed, I trained the raccoons to carry messages for me.

You have raccoons???

'Course, I can just cough mine.....

 

[philhaney]

Yes, I'm going to mistake my cue for followspotting Stella (A Burro) with some random audience member walking in to the bowl.

I've seen worse. Just ask.....

 

[Sony]

Personally I feel that the only time you should take a cue on your own is when the SM is dealing with a real emergency and cannot physically call the cue or specifically tells you to take the cue yourself due to technical difficulties or somesuch. Otherwise if they are just ADDing out and slacking or something like that then you don't take the cue....it helps them learn to pay attention when they screw up and get crap for it from the Director.