I wasn't the stage manager for this show, but I had a front row seat on the rail as it all went down. I was going to a large University in the mid-west, studying Opera Tech. Every year they do the Nutcracker. During the party scene, there's supposed to be a magic flash that ignites all the candles on the x-mas tree. Pretty simple set up, the tree has little electric lights, and the cue is just timed to the little flash pot set into the table at the base of the tree. Unfortunately, the table is also the home for all the prop gifts handed out later in the scene, tin soldiers, dolls, etc. Somehow one of the dolls made it into the 3 foot blast zone clearly marked on top of the table, and when the pyro went off, so did the doll. I turn to my crew head and interrupt his conversation to say, "the set's on fire". He's squawking about it over headset, but before we can do anything about it, one of the dancers calmly pats out th flames with her hands. This girl deserves a box of chocolates and a bunch of roses. I'm always pleased when actors help out. Best part was, my professor/supervisor was the one firing the pyro, so I got to make fun of him for weeks. No matter how I screw up, I can always remember, at least I didn't set fire to the stage.
Submitted by Chase Potter