Stage Management - How To Call a Show (Lecture) 

From a lighting designer - If you can get the SM to agree that the cue numbers are the page numbers - life becomes a whole lot easier for everyone. I always use this system. Page 9 - would have LXQ9, followed by 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 etc. When you want to know what and where LXQ 67 is just look on page 67 and all is clear! Saves having to rummage through the script to find the cues. Nigel Lewis Theatre Lighting Designer / Lecturer - Lighting Design

Here's my 2-cent from experience in opera (valid for any music show) : First, always have a score with a white sheet on the left page, printed score on the right page. On my left page, I put the WARNINGS (or STANDBYES) and the CUES, in chronological order at about the same level where they will appear on the right page (score). But on the left page, I can add more details if needed about a scene change, for example, or a complex chain of cues. On the right page I mark the cues, exactly when they need to be called (often on a specific note or chord or word, or silence, or...). But then I only mark the cue number, as there's not always room to mark details, and you don't want to mess up your score anyway, so that it's instantly readable, even by anyone who might be called to replace you if needed. For the details, you'll refer to the LEFT page. My way of marking cues is to CONSISTENTLY use colored stickers : - on the RIGHT page (score), post-it stickers which can be repositionned if needed (it OFTEN happens, when a show is taken again and the director wants to change a few things around...). Each sticker of different color (yellow for light, of course, and I consistently use (but that's my own choice) green for tech cues (fly cues, or machinery, or scene move, or fumes...), pink for sound cues, orange for CALLS, and for characters' entrances and exits (if needed, which is not always), etc. The cue number is written on the sticker, and the position can be emphasized by a vertical marking (with the same color) on the whole stave. Each cue is anticipated with a warning (marked ⚠️) a couple staves before (or top of the page...) with permanent DOT stickers of the same color (because these generally don't need to be repositionned : ⚠️⓭) -- on the LEFT page (white page) : Cue marked DOT permanent stickers, at the approximate same level as on the other page, with detailed explanations next to it. (flies up or down, curtain close or open, slow or fast, details of set manipulation, positioning of props, etc....). Usually the explanations are next to the warning : ⚠️T⓭ (Standbye or warning Tech 13) : Red drop fly UP (or ↑), black curtain down ↓. If you a have a simultenous complex cue (like light, cue, spot, and fly together, but all with different cue numbers, you can give all the details in the WARNING, and then call "common move, GO". On this LEFT page, you can also place actors or singers (or chorus, or ballet, or whatever) CALLS on stage (which don't need to be place very exactly on the score page. You can also place character's entrance or exits (which don't necessarily need to be placed specifically on the score side, unless you're the one giving them a sign for their precise entrance). And all other things you might want to be remembered but not necessarily CALL.... The purpose of the LEFT page is to allow you to see a very clear chronological order of events, cues and calls, without forgetting anything, using the RIGHT page to give the very specific cues written in the score. I hope this is clear enough... As a general rule, I wish there was a general common "language" for stage managers and SM techniques, just like there is for choreographers. But it seems that everyone does it's own thing in their corner... And to be sure, it's not CONSISTENT.... :(

Thanks for posting this! I'm a wannabe comic artist and I want to make a small thing about stage crew but I know NOTHING about stage crew. This was really helpful in understanding stage management for someone who knows nothing about theatre.

Coming back to this video to say thank you. I taught myself how to call a show from this video before my first show. and now actually do work as a professional stage manager! Obviously I have learned a lot since then, but this is where I started.

thanks so much, I am part of the stage management team for a production my school is doing and they're performing in a week. I have been nervous all throughout the week, but I luckily came upon this and I have gained a bit more confidence, thanks for uploading this!

Thank you so much for this post. I'm a first time stage manage for a community theater production of The Producers in Istanbul... and I've never done it before. :O

I am taking classes in Theatre tech and hope to work as a stage manager and this is so helpful. Thanks for posting.

This video has really helped me with stage management because one of my friends in theater showed me the "basics of stage management" (blocking, cues,ect..) and I now love stage management and I've never gotten to call cues correctly/efficiently for a few reasons such as calling too late or missing a cue (this happens a lot to me because my writing isn't neat and I can't read it) this video has helped me learn how stage management works and how to be efficient with it.

This is so helpful, thank you! We had a bit of a gap in leadership in our company because of the pandemic, so I'm going in as a brand new SM and very glad to have this resource!

The engagement of the students in this class make me jealous bc I feel like no one takes anything seriously now...

Who is the teacher? This is the most helpful video on the internet on this subject

Thanks for sharing this!!! I'm an aspiring/working stage manager and I can never learn enough

Thank you for posting this. Im in my final year of an SM course in Australia and it is great to hear it all from another person. Much appreciated!

Helpful! Being pulled in to do last-minute stage management for a professional musical theater and this lecture has really reinforced my understanding of how to do this.

I found numbering the cues in order SQ1, LQ2, SQ & LQ3 keeps calling simple. You can standby with stating "Standby Sound and Light Q3", and then when it is time to execute you state "Q3 Go". They both have a Q3 so they run that cue when called. I find It cuts down own the amount of words, hence cuts down on lag time. Another benefit is that it covers the computer programs that do both sound and lights. In this example lights does not have a Q1 so they won't do Q1.

Lol. Love the student said spike when she moved the desk. 🤣

I’m studying how to be a stage manager so I can try out for it in the fall and this helped so much

Very interesting and informative - I've been crewing for a while, and so kinda saw what the SM did, but only partially. The society I normally perform with "on-stage" has approached me to take over as their SM since he's retiring. This was a detailed instructive vid on show week stuff. Thanks!

happy stage Management day 2016..thanks for the sharing

Thanks for sharing. Special thanks to the teacher!

This is amazing. Thank you for posting. I am a graduate but am a slow learner and still need experience on the theatre world. can you do another session on the prompt book on the other paperwork

Loved the video and the info. The hum from the a/c unit triggered my OCD. LOL! As an audio tech/engineer I wanted to fix it soooooooooo badly. LOL!

I really really enjoyed this video! I wish there would be more of these!

Thank you for posting this

This is gold. Thanks.

You really have a cool teacher ☺

Hey I'm doing 4 shows this week and I've never stage managed before. I'm really fucking nervous I could probably cry - I hope this videos going to help, I'm terrified

I loved this thank you!

This is amazing thank u!

Another question. Do you not say LQ1? Though it's written on the sheet? btw thanks for showing the sheet lol. big help!

I have a question. If you have text and you have called stby LX Q5. The line in between the stby line and the cue line can you mark it on the words, put the LX Q5 GO on the in between line so when you say it, it happens when the word is said. does that make sense. or is it better to put it on the cue line and line it up with the sentence and word.

For standby I do Warn: * Lx 6

Is there a way to get the script you used? I am teaching Stage Management and would love to use this resource! Thank you!

Is that a chalkboard?

So no standbys any more... What if someone has to call the show in her absence?! Do as she says, not as she does...!

Dont make private jokes we dont get them or care..why the f is someone eating chips