CALLING: Actor Calls

[Aerial]

I've found that usually I'm waiting on FOH to start, as opposed to waiting on my cast.

Last year, I was calling a thesis play for the grad school I worked for that was being done on the mainstage of the LORT theatre it was attached to.  I learned quickly that if I called a true everything, we'd be on track for starting at X:05, which was usually when house management was ready.  I'd call 1/2 hour, inform house management that I was calling 15 over the walkie talkie, check with house management to see if I should call 5, check with house management to see if I should call places, and do a final check in with house management to see if I could start. 

[VSM]

I give the "5 minutes" call five minutes before scheduled curtain time.
I call "places" when I get the House.

[killerdana]

I also call 5 at five to curtain.  I'll hold off on calling "places" till I get the word from the house.  If it's more than an extra 2 minutes or so, I'll make the call "Holding for house, please standby," just so no one gets too comfortable backstage.

[avkid]

The last large rental client we had was a full high school theatre company doing a musical/comedy/murder mystery I was pretty much doing everything, including calls. In our theatre list curtain times at 8 or 3 but always start the fade in at 5 after, the calls are usually in real time until about 58 after when everybody is actually ready so they will always be in places ahead of time.

[ljh007]

I give calls depending on the theatre I'm working in. One I work in often is an old vaudeville house with eight floors of dressing rooms (only three tiny rooms per floor) accessed by a pill-size hand-crank elevator, complete with elevator operator. So I give 10-minute warnings and 5-minute calls here, and ASMs work diligently to make sure people are in attendance when they're called to the stage. One theatre I just worked in for the first time had the one dressing room right next to the stage, so a five minute call was just silly. I gave 2-minute calls to everyone, and was sure to announce this to the cast so they would realize they couldn't dawdle. If I know that someone is a little slow at getting themselves to the stage, I'll hedge their call up a little, but still announce it as "5-minutes" or whatever. (Oops- now my secret's out!)

[ESM_John]

I was taught the traditional way of keeping everyone on time...

Half hour, please
Fifteen minutes, please
Five minutes, please
Places, please

The first three calls are given at 30, 15 and 5 minutes priorto the annoucend curtain up time. Places is given after the house manager has turned the house over to you and when you are ready to run the show. OR in an educational theatre, after the Director/Producer has made the welcome speech and exits the stage.

[Mac Calder]

ESM: I would not call it Traditional.... It seems to be the American standard, but traditional would be the British standard - which (from my conversations with British stage managers) calls times from beginners with a 5 minute beginners.

However it really does not matter. You can call whatever you want, provided everyone is in the correct spot at the right time, things are going well.

[MatthewShiner]

I just feel like waiting until the house is handed over to you to call places creates a lull of 2-4 minutes where NOTHING is happening, and the audience can get a litlte fidigity.  I think it is always better to try to land the house being turned over to you and actors being ready to go at the same time.  I know it's always a bit of a crap shoot.

Idealy, I hang up with house management, start the pre-show announcements, do a final check in with my staff and then start the show, all pretty much one right after another.

I am also a fiend about starting on time. 

[aegrubb]

I agree with most that actors do not need to be milling about backstage it only gives them temptation to talk and fiddle. There for I also call according to posted curtin time, which begins with the house manager speach, giving the actors about 2 minutes to "get in the Zone" if you will.

[butch]

My last gig was for a season in the round, which was wonderful, because from my booth I could see the lobby and was able to judge pretty accurately when to give places before I got the house. I am going to miss that level of awareness....

[thehayworth]

The problem I encounter is that different actors of different walks of life expect different calls.

If I give a call "15 minutes" and get the reply "till what?" one more time someone is going home in a full body cast.

[Mac Calder]

Does AE have call times defined in it's contracts? I have heard rumours our Australian Actors Equity does (I don't work equity, so I don't know).

[smsam]

Over in the UK (sound like a broken record don't I) this is how we do our calls. This is not just the standard convention here but almost the Stage Management Law - I've never met a *professional* Stage Manager/ DSM who does theirs differently (give or take a little bit of rephrasing!);

For a show at 19.30/ 7.30pm

18.55/ 6.55pm
Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen of the [SHOWS NAME] Company. This is your half-hour call. Thirty Minutes Please. Thank You
[Also Announce here who the MD for the show will be (if you have more than one or an assistant MD) & Any Understudies/ Covers On]

19.10/ 7.10pm
Ladies & Gentlemen of the [SHOWS NAME] Company. This is your half-hour Quarter of an hour call. Fifteen Minutes Please. Thank You

When the House Opens
Ladies & Gentlemen the house is now open for this evening's performance. Please do not cross the stage. Please do not cross the stage, the house is now open. Thank You

19.20/ 7.20pm
Ladies & Gentlemen of the [SHOWS NAME] Company. This is your 5 minute call. Five Minutes Please. Thank You

19.25/ 7.25pm -- Hold if we will be going up late (and do call explaining)
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the[SHOWS NAME] Company. This is your Act One Beginners Call. Miss. Adams, Miss. Morewood, Mr. Beach & Mr. Smith your call please. Stage Management, Lighting, Sound, Wardrobe & All Technical Departments please standby for lights up on this evening's performance of [SHOW NAME].  Miss. Adams, Miss. Morewood, Mr. Beach & Mr. Smith your call please. Act One Beginners. Thank You”
(**NB; When listing members of the company ladies always first and in alphabetical order of their last name**)

Other Calls most DSMs in the UK do are;

Courtesy Calls - i.e. Calling Principals for the Scenes
Miss. Adams this is your call please. Miss Adams you call. Thank-You

Act One/ Two Underway
Ladies and Gentlemen we have lights up on act one(/two) of this evenings performance. Lights up on Act One. Thank You

Post Show Call
Ladies and Gentlemen of the [SHOW NAME] Company. Thank-you for you performance this evening. The total running time was [total running time - inc interval] meaning your total playing time was [total playing time - exc. interval]. Your Running Time [run time] and playing time [playing time]. Your next call is for [tomorrow/ Monday/ next date] at Six O'clock for a 7.30pm show. Your next Call 6.00pm for a 7.30pm show. Thank You and Good Night!

Sam x

[musicalssm]

Wow!  I don't think I could make those calls for the show I'm working on right now.  It would take too long.  I'm running from one end of the theatre to the other becuase our God-mic can be heard in the house. 

I call
15 til House Opens
Half-hour
House Open--whenever the House Manager says she will open for that night (it can vary by as much as 15 min).
15 to places
10 to places
5 to place
**check w/ house manager about delays & whether she is ready for me to call places
Places (or standby for places if there is delay and then places)
House to half
House out

This is a big step for many who are used to getting calls every 5 min and no one checking with the house manager before calling places.

I have used variants on this depending on the theatre environment I was in.  I pretty much try to conform to what the actors are used to receiving unless there is a huge benefit in changing it.

musicalssm

[cuelight]

I do generally give my calls 5 minutes before "realtime". My beginners call is variable though, although I usually do it 5 minutes before the stated curtain time. I never tell the company that house is being held for any reason. In my experience it just annoys/frustrates/panics them to know that we're waiting for a coach party/sorting out double booking/waiting for ambulance because of something happening with patrons (don't laugh - it's happened before!). I like to start my shows on time so when I get house then I just do a final check with crew, stand everyone by and then start.

Giving calls 5 minutes before realtime also means that anyone who isn't ready onstage by the time I've gotten the house will get an extra call from prompt corner.