CALLING: Let's Talk "Places, Please"

[RuthNY]

Let's talk about what each of us do after "Places, please" has been called and you are about to begin the Act.

Do you do a head count, through your ASM (or otherwise) to insure everybody who is supposed to be there IS there?  

Do you only check to see that only leading or supporting players are ready to go?  

Do you only check that actors who are onstage when the "curtain" goes up or who enter immediately are present?  

Do you let your company know that 2 minutes (or 3 minutes, or whatever is standard for the space you work in) after you call "Places, please" the show will begin and it is THEIR responsibility to be in place and ready to go, that you will not hold for them or even check on them, and that THEY must communicate with YOU if they are going to late to their place for any reason?

Or, do you do something else entirely?

Does it vary depending on the cast or production?

And, if you do a headcount, what do you use as you criteria as to who should be present at "Places" call before you begin the Act?

What else haven't I thought of when it comes to the subject of "Places, please?"

These are not trick questions. There are no wrong answers.

Discuss!!

[stagegal1]

For the most part, I have my asm confirm that everyone who enters within the first minute or 2 of the show are present.  Sometimes I have actors who are ready and waiting at places even though they don't come on until a little later.  In those cases, if that actor isn't there at places, I will have crew check in to make sure all is well before I start.

Allison

[zayit shachor]

Usually after I call places and head up to the booth, I do a role call on headset.  My ASM will be checking that all the actors who enter in the first couple of minutes are ready to go, and when I get the OK from her, I start the show.

I'd hesitate to start the show blindly, having told the actors that it's their responsibility to be at places.  Not to say that actors aren't usually ready on time, but if a show starts and, say, an actor is late getting onstage, that reflects poorly on me for not having made sure that we really were ready to start.  I don't think it would do anyone any good to assume that actors are in places and start the show without confirming that.  As the SM, part of your job is to do everything you can to make the show a success each night, and making sure that actors are ready is just another part of that job.  (Also, if an actor is late to places, there's usually a good reason - costume troubles, etc.)

[yoyomankind]

I usually put lights and sound on Standby, then get the confirmation from my ASM that everyone is in places, so I can shoot the "Go" as soon as I've got the confirmation. 

(Also, if an actor is late to places, there's usually a good reason - costume troubles, etc.)

That is exactly why I get the confirmation.  There have been many times when just that has happened, and the double checking prevented a false start from occurring due to a costume snafu or something of those lines.

[ChaCha]

oh yes, I like a headcount. if there's no asm and Im calling from the control room, i usually get an actor lined up to confirm the cast are set before I start.

[BLee]

I usually have someone posted at all entrances at the top of show and call up to me as soon as they get their specified actors. The rule of thumb for me is all actors in the first five minutes should be ready backstage of top of show. Of course here at school we also have a house manager speech that happens to make announcements and remind patron of sponsors and the rest of the season. So as long as I have the actors who enter first I will start the house manager speech.

[maximillionx]

I ask for a head count. As was mentioned before, you never know if there are any troubles backstage.  I do stress to my actors that it is their responsibility to be on time and at the correct place since it is they who will look foolish and not me.

[sarahbear42]

At my last company, I was blessed with several very responsible and attentive actresses who would always know, starting at about 5 til, who wasn't backstage yet, and would tell me so when I made my calls. (Backstage was basically just a dressing room leading onto the stage right wing, no crossovers and no other way to get out.) Because of the way everything was built, I was able to start at the men's dressing room on the other side of the building, and walk the only audience-free path to the stage.

If possible/plausible, I try to not just do a headcount but get a quick "is everyone OK?" Too many close calls of people being in place, but oh-by-the-way-my-costume-just-broke, or better yet my personal favorite I'm-in-place-but-throwing-up.

I'll never understand how the actors at my last company had managed, in some cases, 20+ years in the profession without realising that I can't let the shops know about problems or pause the show if they don't tell me there's an issue...

[Sarah]

Do you do a head count, through your ASM (or otherwise) to insure everybody who is supposed to be there IS there? 
Do you only check to see that only leading or supporting players are ready to go? 
Do you only check that actors who are onstage when the "curtain" goes up or who enter immediately are present? 

If I have an ASM, he or she will give me a head count of those who need to go on within the first few minutes, or those actors who like to be present at places. If I don't have an ASM, I assign crew members to do the same.

Do you let your company know that 2 minutes (or 3 minutes, or whatever is standard for the space you work in) after you call "Places, please" the show will begin and it is THEIR responsibility to be in place and ready to go, that you will not hold for them or even check on them, and that THEY must communicate with YOU if they are going to late to their place for any reason?

On the sign in sheet for the first tech, I explain how my preshow sequence is called. Half-hour at 30 to curtain, 15 at 15 to curtain, etc. 3 minutes to curtain is my standard places call. I've never thought it necessary to tell the actors it's their responsibility; I'd hope they'd assume that was part of their job.

Or, do you do something else entirely?

I SM'd The Music Man this summer and we had a cast of 40 kids, ages 9 - 18. I thought to myself, "How the hell am I gonna keep 40 kids straight with two green ASMs?" At intermission, I made them go to the green room and pick up an index card with a number and their name printed on it (alphabetically, beginning with 1, of course). They all had to enter the stage by the same stairwell so I posted a crew member at the bottom and as they passed by, they handed the crew member their card. He read off the numbers to me and I checked them off a list. I knew immediately who was missing, and intermission never ran over.

Does it vary depending on the cast or production?

Except for the above, no.

And, if you do a headcount, what do you use as you criteria as to who should be present at "Places" call before you begin the Act?

I assume anyone entering on the first or second page and anyone entering within two minutes of curtain and then, depending on the script, I ask if anyone else would like to be counted at places.

[sarahbear42]

Here's kind of a side thought:

I've had a lot of actors look at me like I'm crazy when "Places" comes 2-3 minutes after a "5" (or less than ten minutes after a "10," etc.)

Because of this, I've tended to adjust my other calls to all be in relation to when "places" happens. Anyone else get this reaction?

[Tempest]

Here's kind of a side thought:

I've had a lot of actors look at me like I'm crazy when "Places" comes 2-3 minutes after a "5" (or less than ten minutes after a "10," etc.)

Because of this, I've tended to adjust my other calls to all be in relation to when "places" happens. Anyone else get this reaction?

I do this, as well.  Also, if I get early notice from House managment that there will be a signifigant hold, I'll space my calls 6 minutes apart, rather than five, without changing what the call is.  This often happens with bad weather or an accident on the nearby freeway.   I end up calling places a minute or two after "start," but this prevents actors getting antsy and wandering off on a five or ten minute hold.  Yes, I've had that happen with so called professional actors, so I just cut that off at the pass.
I call places for actors and house management, head to the booth, confirm via headset that everyone backstage who needs to be in place is, and then let house management know that backstage is ready for the curtain speech.

[VSM]

I guess I'm lucky as my House Manager gives me a "2 minutes" warning based on how the house looks.
I then call "places" to the actors and it's usually a race as to who gives the "clear" first!

[RuthNY]

At the house I work in most, this is also the procedure! 

Miss you, Vernon!

I guess I'm lucky as my House Manager gives me a "2 minutes" warning based on how the house looks.
I then call "places" to the actors and it's usually a race as to who gives the "clear" first!

[loebtmc]

I also give places based on the house call - and I try to make places a 2 minute call so ideally it falls 3 minutes into the 5 call. But that's ideal, rarely reality. Ah well.

(haven't we had this discussion before?) my 30/15 are based on the clock, but the 5 and places are coordinated w the house. And in some big houses, FOH tells me when their 5 has been called and when they are closing the doors.

[RuthNY]

Yes, we have had this discussion before extensively. But my original thread was really about how or even IF you count your actors or otherwise take roll call in the wings prior to curtain. The thread has diverged into something else.

<snip>

(haven't we had this discussion before?)