Assuming that you have a dual
channel base station, you might connect the director on
channel B and the rest of the spots and crew on
channel A. That way you have a
continuity of chain of command during a show. The director can add comments but it’s to the
stage manager directly without others listening in. This especially if only the SM and ASM have the dual
channel belt packs.
Such getting yelled at on one
channel and communicating commands during a show takes a lot of coolness under fire by way of the
stage manager, but that’s also the
mark of a good
stage manager.
Most shows are better with the spots on
channel B but it’s fairly easily coordinated by way of cues for the SM to control the spots on the main
channel.
The new
Clear Com belt packs otherwise would be especially useful. You can program them for a variety of uses and locking out. I’m sure by way of the
manual there is a easy way to coordinate anything you need with them.
At work otherwise I make for shows a dual
channel Main and Spare
base station
switch panel. Only thing that gets plugged into the dual set of
base stations is this rack distribution/switching panel. There is a four pole dual position
switch attached to the four A/B
XLR cables
fed from the main and spare
base stations. They than after the
switch get
fed to the various A, B and even six pin dual
channel outlets. Acts as a
patch panel also so you don’t have to reach into the rack while installing, much less because there is a
switch to go from the main to the spare
base station, you don’t have to un-plug and re-plug each
line should there be a problem. It has just as many male as female outlets - just in case some
stage crew runs a
line backwards.
Anyway, given this A/B
distro, that switches between Main and Spare
base stations, what if such a panel were what the
stage manager plugged into? Everyone else plugs directly into their respective
base station except the
stage manager has the option of switching between say the director com
system and show control
system. Perhaps add
call lights in
line from the
base station before the
switch so if needed on one or the other
base station, the
stage manager can see the
call light and hit the
switch to get to that
circuit. A ASM
switch panel could also be made to run in parallel with that of the
stage manager.
This would allow two completely separate com systems that might be useful not only for show control and director listening but also for actor warning cues. Say Main
base station
Channel A for talking with the lighting, sound and fly people.
Channel B for controlling the follow spots. On the second
power supply,
channel A for the director to
stage manager/ASM yelling at
circuit, and
channel B that goes over the intercom in both the dressing room and green room.
Stage Manager wants to give the five minute warning, they go to Spare
Power Supply
channel B, Director wishes to give last minute changes, the director also can go onto the intercom without interfering with the production staff. Both can also Shush the actors while on the
Clear Com.
Call lights between
power supplies would be the key here. You would either need to see the
call lights on the
base stations or have some installed on the
switch panel.
Still, if it’s theater policy the director or others not actively running the show are on the headsets, perhaps it’s a good solution. Granted all this would take some coordination and agreement by way of management. Perhaps if nothing else, give the director another Main/Spare
switch so if they really want to hop onto the show control
system they can, but otherwise dont confuse cues given and the rest of the crew. This where in the past, directors used to just take notes for the next show to work on.
Other ideas and concepts for such a
system. Having both an indicator light for
call light on the
system the
stage manager might not be on at the moment is very important. Also and perhaps even more important would be an indicator light for which position on the
switch the
stage manager is currently switched to. Don't want to give
cue 102 to the director, realize this and have to
call it late. Also in the past, I have done some
foot switch clear com adaptors which have been handy for hands free switching between A/B channels. Perhaps some of the various rock and
roll foot switches could be better adapted for doing this so the
stage manager can still flip pages in the script or write notes. Perhaps not in loosing the
foot switch in the dark.
Another thing I once created in the past was a AB belt pack
adaptor that was belt mounted. Instead of having two sets of wires, much less a problem with feed
thru, I once did a belt pack
adaptor that was feed
thru and did a single six pin
plug to the dual
headset. Made one, but nobody has really used it. I will have thought it a good idea where feed
thru is a problem or there is just too many wires off the belt pack. Add a 6'
whip to the six pin
plug and the
adaptor much less lots of wires feeding off it would not need to be mounted on the belt.