[C_C_H]

Hi everyone,

I have just started work as a Stage Manager and I have never called a show before. I understand in principal, and I think I will be fine - but I am wondering about calling a show to music? I read music, and again I understand in theory, but am a bit confused about the practicalities.
For example, when a lighting state has to change bang on a particular word/beat etc, how do you call it so that it is exact? I know this is a stupid question, but if anyone could help I'd be very grateful. A step by step "how to call a show to music for dummies" would be gratefully appreciated.


Thanks!

[GridGirl]

When I call a musical, I always amalgamate the script and the piano score into a master calling script - don't use the full orchestra score or your script will be thousands of pages long! Not all stage managers do this, but I find it far easier to be exact this way. Calling to music really isn't all that different to calling to dialogue. Each SM will do it their own way, but I mark my scripts up with a vertical line either side of the word or music note where the cue happens, then draw a horizontal line across the page to the opposite page (I always put script/score on the left and cues on the right) which has the cue information written on it. So, something like this (as best I can draw it here?!), with the cue on "Kansas"

DOROTHY: Well, I guess we're not in |Kansas| any more, Toto._______________________________________LX19 GO

If you have more than one cue on that word, then it would be "LX19, SQ5, FlyQ 13, Pyro 2 and SpotQ 4 GO"

Does that make any sense?! If it was a musical number, I'd put the lines around the relevant notes rather than the word (great for dance breaks where there aren't any words!). Any more questions, just ask!

[C_C_H]

Thanks so much!

I guess what I am still wondering is, how the operator knows to do a cue exactly on the word? So, if you are saying "LX 19 Go" do you say "LX 19" a bit before the cue word, and then "GO" exactly on the word/note? Or very slightly before it?
Sorry to be so penickity...I am just nervous about getting it right!

[GridGirl]

C_C_H, on 30 June 2011 - 01:26 AM, said:

Thanks so much!

I guess what I am still wondering is, how the operator knows to do a cue exactly on the word? So, if you are saying "LX 19 Go" do you say "LX 19" a bit before the cue word, and then "GO" exactly on the word/note? Or very slightly before it?
Sorry to be so penickity...I am just nervous about getting it right!

You do say "LX 19" a bit before the cue point - but not too far before! I always try and aim for "LX 19 *breath* GO". I hate "LX19...................................................................................GO" - drives me mad! As for the on the word/slightly before the word bit, well, that does depend on the cue and the operator. I used to work with an operator who would go on the very first sound of the "G" of "GO" so I knew with him I could call it pretty much bang on the cue point and it would be fine! But with a less on-the-ball operator, you might have to pre-empt a little bit. The other thing is the cue type - even with that operator, there would be the occasional cue which I'd have to call a fraction early - snap cues which had moving lights involved, often, as they can take a moment to actually execute the change if they're moving or changing colour/gobo etc. But most of the time, on the word is usually fine. You'll find you develop an instinct for it over time - and don't stress too much about it!

[Unfathomable]

Also, don't be afraid to ask the rest of the crew what they are listening for. There could be some cues where the cue needs pre-empting (for reasons GridGirl has been through) or where a quick series of Qs need to be said as "LX19-24 *breath* GO GO GO GO GO GO" to fit into the time available.

I have on occasion had SMs who count along to the music and gives the cue within the counting (with the counting kept quieter)

ie. " 1, 2, LX19, 4, go".
(hard to type the example so not sure if I have explained that amazingly)

[andy_s]

Unfathomable, on 30 June 2011 - 03:35 AM, said:

I have on occasion had SMs who count along to the music and gives the cue within the counting (with the counting kept quieter)

ie. " 1, 2, LX19, 4, go".
(hard to type the example so not sure if I have explained that amazingly)

if I was operating sound or lights (or anything else) with a dsm calling like this, it would annoy the heck out of me and I would ask them not to do it. (politely, of course.)

This post has been edited by andy_s: 30 June 2011 - 11:27 AM

[paulears]

A while back, I put an entire show up for people who wanted to listen to a theatrical show being called - it included the go-go-go-go kind of multiple follow on lx cues in the busy musical numbers. If you want a link to it - just send me PM and I'll let you have the link.
Paul

[Shez]

Having just had to train someone in calling a musical (blind leading the blind...) on the few occasions when a cue had to happen on the final downbeat of a piece of music, he gave the standby, then counted down the final bar: 4, 3, 2, 1, go. That made sure the change happened dead on the beat rather than relying too much on the operator's reaction time. It worked for that show; not sure if it's a more widely used practice though. He put the relevant pages of the piano score at the end of the book with tabs sticking out to quickly get to each one and tabs to get back in to the right parts of the script afterwards. His own choice; I probably would have put them in chronological order.
And a public thank you to Paul for that audio file too - it was a big help in illustrating how it's normally done.

[erroneousblack]

The important thing is to never use the "G" word till you mean it. Couple of years ago I had to cover on a Cruise Ship, and I got the phrase, "tabs Q Go, in 20, 19, 18" etc. Too late!

[Unfathomable]

erroneousblack, on 13 July 2011 - 10:34 PM, said:

The important thing is to never use the "G" word till you mean it. Couple of years ago I had to cover on a Cruise Ship, and I got the phrase, "tabs Q Go, in 20, 19, 18" etc. Too late!

Also worth making sure you do use the "G" word at the point you do mean it. So many missed cues are due to "Standby tabs... . . . begin" or similar. A nice clear go or nothing happens.

[Bryson]

And never ever do 'LX19...Standby'. Many people will just press the button (even if they should wait for the Go.) It's 'Standby LX19..........Lx 19...Go'

[paulears]

A sign of a good DSM is that they know that some cues take a while to be noticed. Long fades are a good example. If you call them, it's perhaps two or three seconds until you realise the cue is actually running. Two things - the DSM needs to call it a bit early, and it's sometimes good practice to confirm the cue really is running, so the DSM knows it started and you didn't 'not' do it. For the DSM calling a GO and not seeing things happen can be very frustrating. Have a "running" reply to his call stops worry.

[LeeStoddart]

The last few comments are excellent and relevant to calling any show but this topic started about the specifics of calling shows to music.

I light for musical theatre most of the time so I understand the difficulty of getting cue points exactly on the music beats as opposed to words or actions. In my designs, cues tend to either be on the first or last note of a bar. Having a DSM and an board op who have a "musical ear" is pretty much essential.

I don't get too stressed about cues which are more than 5 or 6 second duration - if the start point is half a beat or a beat out is not going to be noticeable.

Cues on the first beat of the bar and especially on the first beat of a song (or after a pause for applause) are easiest if both the DSM and board op can see the conductor so that we can go with his/her downbeat.

Cues which are snaps have to be called so that they happen exactly on the beat. These are usually at the end of the bar, the last note of the song, the "picture". Provided you know when the real ending is (not any of the false crescendos that precede it) any decent operator can hit it "on the button" so in those case having the G word at the same time as the button press is OK.

So I have known a DSM add the phrase "on the down beat" or "on the button" to the standby.

One of my favourite DSMs somehow has the skill of being able to work out how long it will take to say the complete queue phrase in one flow and marks her book with the start point of the phrase as well as the GO point - so we hear "LX Q one oh three go" rather than "LX Q one oh three .......... go" This makes it practical to press the button on th "g" of go because there is no variation in the length of the pause. With variable pause DSMs the button press will always be after the "g" because of the operator reaction time.

[erroneousblack]

Just done a double take on this thread. The OP says they've just started "work" as an SM. So why are you asking how to call a show?

[Bryson]

Good point on the "musicality' points.

I've been lighting some Opera recently and learnt a new piece of terminology/notation- one that they never taught me in college at least:

The Director would ask for cues by page/system/bar in the score: So, he'd say "this should be at 45/3/2" Certainly something I wasnt previously familiar with.