CALLING: Board ops doing other things during a show?

[Debo123]

As far as confirmations go, I will say that I prefer a confirmation where the other person will reply with whatever area they are in standby for, ie of "lights" "sound" "actor" "trap", whatever- because if i'm giving more than one type of cue, then my brain can sort out and ascertain more easily who hasn't responded (if that's the case), and confirm them all in the same manner they've just been asked to standby in... plus people's voices can sound the same and this way I know exactly who is ready and who I'm waiting on... just makes it clearer IMHO

[ESM_John]

Starting out as a sound guy, us "people of the booth" tend to fool around. Now its harder on the sound board, and if i wasnt doing anything i was helping the SM (hey, it was my calling)...lighting guys tend to fool around more becuase of the simplicity of shows once they are cued up.

Everyone knows that when you hear "...Standby" that means pay attention.

So far its been fine.

[samthestagemanager]

most of the time I don't let my board ops doing anything else. When I stage managed The Misanthrope there were barely any light cues so I let them do whatever. However, in most situations I prefer that they focus on the show. Even if the show has gone perfectly every night, something could still go wrong and they would have to be alert and ready to help correct whatever has gone wrong.

[JenniferEver]

I have limited experience actually SMing, but I've directed and opped and been around a lot of shows. When I SMed, our booth was not only not soundproof, but it was basically a megaphone into the theatre, so we had to be careful of verbal cues. When I was SM, I have very good responsible technicians, and they did do crossword puzzles, etc, which concerned me, but I always had them confirm a standby even with a nod or eye contact. I don't think it has anything to do with a power trip. If you're SM, the responsibility is totally yours and it's on your behind if a cue is incorrect, so you have every right to have a conformation on a standby. I had a time or two when I was distracted and didn't look for the confirmation because I was dealing with another tech (we had a crazy show with turntables that had to be manually turned and different crews every night. It was so hectic), and on those two occasions my sound tech was late with the cue because she hadn't set it up on time.

I explained after the first tech that I wasn't asking for confirmation because I felt they were stupid or because I was on a power trip but because I just have to be sure and it's a system of checks and balances. It worked out well for me, but that wasn't in the real world, it was in the happy college world, where the cast and crew were told at the first tech "Jenn is your stage manager. From now on she is the Queen. Whatever she tells you to do, even if it;s to stand on your head, you do it without question"

[Mac Calder]

I think Jennifer hit the proverbial nail on the head.

You are the stage manager, and it is on your behind if a cue is late.

And to tell the truth, that is the crux of the issue to me - it is my reputation on the line just as much as the operators is. I don't feel confident if I do not know my operators are on the ball. And living in prompt corner, I cannot tell if my ops even have their cans on and heard me if I don't recieve a standby - after all if I am lucky enough to have a camera feed or 2, they are usually focused on the stage and not on the operators.

[ljh007]

When I am with an IA crew, I usually never ask for confirmations. If I am with a student crew, I do ask for confirmations... it is very important for a good stage manager to pick their battles.

Hear, hear! Regarding the original topic - whether board ops can do other things in the booth: if they can do their job, I don't concern myself. Of course, they should never do anything noisy or disruptive. If they hit the button when I say GO, they're doing their job successfully. On the second topic - asking for standby confirmations: I never do with a professional crew; I think it's insulting and amateurish to demand verbal confirms from IA folks. They do this for a living, day-in/day-out, and I have no reason to question their abilities. Unless they miss a cue! Then I ask for a confirmation every single time. With non-professionals, it's different, and it depends on whom I'm working with. To echo DAE - I pick my battles. Creating a hostile environment in the booth does no good to anyone nor to the production. Flexibility is one of the very highest qualities an SM can have.

[avkid]

To address the cell or mobile phone issue, because we have no wireless means of communication between any personnel in the "field"(in the dressing rooms fitting actors, fixing monitor levels on stage etc...) and home base we are often forced to use mobile as our makeshift radios.