TECHNOLOGY: Stage manager calling station

[Jcrich331]

Hey does anyone have plans for a good calling station?  I need to make one and i have not had one before.  Let me know.  jcrich331@aim.com

Edited to add label to subject line-Rebbe

[iamchristuffin]

Do you mean a prompt desk (as we call it in the UK)?

If so, surely it's best to design one to your needs - someone could have needed 20 cue lights, paging to 12 different parts of Backstage and FOH, 3 monitors, 4 clocks, a speaker, a computer and space for a script, but unless you also need all that, then it's going to be really overkill.

However, most I've seen have about 12-16 cue lights, a paging mic (to either Backstage or FOH or both), space for a script and storage. Maybe a monitor is built in, but some just have them sat on top.

HTH, 
Chris

[kiwitechgirl]

Chris is right - best to design one for your needs.  The essentials are a sloping lid to put the script on (which ideally lifts so you can store stuff underneath it), decent light so you can read the script, somewhere to put your pencil and maybe somewhere to hang your comms beltpack.  That's basically all that mine consists of - we don't use cue lights, my paging system is built into ring B of the comms, and my two monitors sit on monitor stands above the desk.  However, the prompt desk in another venue I worked at had the comms master station, a 20-light cue light master station, full backstage and FOH paging system and a built-in monitor.  So figure out what you need and build one that suits you!