Who calls the cues during rehearsals and performances?

“The show must go on” is a common phrase in the theatre world, and a stage manager is one of the crucial people who ensures that the show does go on. The stage manager works side by side with the director and artistic team to ensure that rehearsals and performances run smoothly. Often, this role is assigned to a senior student as this is a great way to learn and develop leadership skills. But what does a stage manager do, anyway? Let’s take a look at some common duties and responsibilities of the stage manager.

Assist with administrative and preparatory tasks

The stage manager must be an organized soul, as they are in charge of keeping track of lots of important administrative information. They maintain a company roster (a contact information list for all cast and crew members) as well as keeping track of attendance and calling cast and crew members when they are late for or missing from rehearsals. Stage managers keep track of any pre-scheduled conflicts and assist with creating schedules as they will know what has been rehearsed already, what needs to still be rehearsed, and who will be at each rehearsal. The stage manager is frequently the first one to arrive at rehearsals and among the last to leave. They help to set up the room at the beginning of rehearsals and help to tidy up at the end.

Communication

Stage managers are the communications centre for productions. They will often give announcements at the beginning of rehearsals, pass along messages to and from the cast and crew, and email rehearsal schedules. The stage manager is the person who everyone can go to when they need answers to questions or help solving problems.

Take notes in rehearsal

The stage manager works closely with the director and artistic staff during rehearsals, recording all blocking, entrances, exits, changes, etc., so the director can focus on actually directing. The stage manager must observe and listen carefully to ensure that no detail is neglected.

The stage manager is responsible for creating a master copy of the script – called the prompt book – that contains everything pertaining to the show. The prompt book is kept in such a manner that in the case of an emergency anyone could pick up the book and run the show. The prompt book contains blocking notes, any changes that have been made, and all technical cues, in a tidy and easy-to-read style. Stage managers also use this master script to prompt actors if they forget lines during rehearsal.

Call the show

During the actual performances of the show, the stage manager will be in the booth, on a headset, and “calling” the show. That means telling the various operators (lights, sound, microphones, spotlights, running crew, and assistant stage managers) when to make their various cues happen. It takes an immense amount of care and focus to make sure that every cue is called and executed with correct timing. This is particularly true when stage managers get few chances to practice calling the cues before the actual run of the show (often as few as three times – a cue-to-cue rehearsal, a technical run, and a dress rehearsal). How’s that for pressure?

“Other duties as assigned”

The stage manager is truly the unsung hero of any production. They are usually the go-to person for any additional tasks that need to be done. At the very least, they are responsible of delegating these tasks to others. A student who wishes to be a stage manager needs to be confident, mature, hard-working, and organized.

So the next time you see your stage manager, be sure to let them know how much you appreciate them. They are the glue that holds the show together!

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Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, writer and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. She blogs at www.kerryhishon.com.

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Act
Plays are often divided into ‘acts’. These are the major divisions within a play. Plays generally have between one and five acts. A very short play is sometimes referred to as a ‘one-acter’. Acts are typically made up of different scenes.

Apron
This is the name given to the part of the stage juts out into the auditorium. In a proscenium arch theatre this would tend to be the part of the stage which is on the auditorium side of the curtain.

ASM
This is the accepted abbreviation for the Assistant Stage Manager.

Audition
When a director is casting a show, s/he often has a formal audition so that s/he can get an idea of the type of talent that is available for the production. Sometimes the actors are required to learn a monologue from the play or are teamed up with another actor to perform a scene. Occasionally directors ask performers to prepare a monologue of their choice. It is a good idea to have a few monologues prepared which can demonstrate that you can work in a variety of dramatic styles (eg a Shakespearean and a contemporary piece). If you need help selecting a monologue there are many books available to help you.

Auditorium
The space within the theatre where the audience sits (or stands) for the duration of a performance. Sometimes it is referred to as the ‘house’.

Backstage
This refers to the area in the theatre which is unseen by the audience. It includes the space in the wings as well as the dressing rooms.

Blackout
This term is used to describe a moment during a performance when all of the stage lights are turned off.

Blacks
This term is often used to describe the ‘costume’ worn by the technical crew during a performance. Black clothes are worn because this is the colour that will be least obtrusive during a performance and it allows the stagehands to move set pieces on stage without distracting the audience.

Blocking
Blocking is usually a major part of the rehearsal process. It refers to the process of arranging the moves of the actors on stage. Often the stage manager will write down the blocking in the prompt book.

Box office
This is the designated area of a theatre’s front of house where prospective audience members can purchase their tickets.

Box set
This is often used in the production of naturalistic plays. It describes a set which is a ‘realistic’ room with three walls and it is as though the fourth wall has been removed so that audience members feel as though they are observing real action.

Break a leg
There is a superstition which suggests that it is bad luck to wish an actor “good luck” prior to a performance so the term “break a leg” is commonly used in its place.

Bump in
This is the process of preparing the theatre for a particular production. It includes building the set, introducing props and costumes, and rigging the lights.

Bump out
This is the process of dismantling the set at the conclusion of a production. It includes the removal of all set pieces, costumes, and lighting.

Call
A “call” is the name given to the time that a performer is required to be at the theatre. Actors are often told that their “call” for a rehearsal or performance is at a particular time. For example you may be told that “Tomorrow night’s call is 7pm”.

Cast
The performing members of a theatre troupe are referred to as the ‘cast’.

Casting
This is the name given to the process of selecting actors to play the different roles in a play. Sometimes this requires actors to participate in an audition.

Company
This refers to the cast, the crew, and other people who are connected with a show.

Costumes
The items of clothing that are worn by the actors onstage are called costumes. Large theatre companies have a wardrobe department who design and create the costumes.

Cue
The directive given to technical people to do something during the performance. This includes sound and lighting cues. Sometimes this is a verbal instruction given by the Stage Manager. For example, “Bring up the house lights”. But other times it might be a visual cue taken from the stage action. For example, “When the actor crosses the stage play the telephone sound effect”.

Cue to cue
This is the process that is often adopted during a technical run. It means that most of the dialogue and action are omitted and the cast jumps between technical cues and entrances/exits so that the lighting and sound cues may be perfected. This is sometimes referred to as “topping and tailing”.

Curtain Call
When a performance has finished often the actors acknowledge the audience’s applause by coming on to the stage and bowing.

Dialogue
This is the term used to describe the parts of a play text when there is more than one character talking. Conversations between characters are referred to as dialogue. [This is in contrast to a monologue].

Downstage
This refers to the area on the stage that is closest to the audience.

Dress rehearsal
This is a full run of a performance. It is often the final rehearsal prior to opening night. All elements of the performance (blocking, lighting, music, etc) are presented as they are meant to be in the final performance.

Flat
A flat is a versatile set piece. It is usually a rectangular frame that is covered with fabric or plywood. Most theatre companies have a range of stock pieces that are used in many different productions. For this reason flats are often black so that they can be used in different plays. Sometimes flats are painted with background images for a particular production.

Fourth Wall
This refers to the idea that an imaginary fourth wall has been removed from the set of a play so that the audience can watch the action. This concept often is used with regard to naturalism.

Front of House
The front of house is generally regarded as any areas that are accessible to audience members. This includes the foyer, the bar, the box office, and the auditorium.

Green Room
The green room is an area that is designated for the actors to get together and unwind.

House
The auditorium is sometimes referred to as the ‘house’. Actors will sometimes ask how many people are in the audience by using the expression “How big is the house tonight?”.

Interval
This is a short break in the performance. A play can have multiple intervals if there are large set changes that are required. However, there is usually only one interval of 15 to 20 minutes. It typically is positioned mid-way through the performance.

Marking Out
This is usually one of the jobs for the Stage Manager. S/he uses masking tape on the rehearsal room floor to indicate the plan of the flats, set pieces, and props so that the actors can get a feel for the space in which they will be performing.

Matinee
A matinee show is usually one that takes place in the morning or afternoon rather than in the evening. It is derived from a Latin word meaning “of the morning”, but in Australia it’s more commonly an afternoon performance.

Monologue
A monologue is a long speech by a single character that is uninterrupted by the other characters on stage. If the character is alone on stage when presenting a monologue, the speech is called a soliloquy.

PM
This is the accepted abbreviation for the Production Manager.

Preset
This is the term that is used to describe the process of putting all props, lighting, and set pieces in their correct location before the start of the play.

Props
This is a term in its own right but it comes from the word ‘properties’. It refers to any items that cannot really be considered to be scenery or costumes. For example, an actor may need to bring a gun on to the stage in a particular scene. Actors are usually responsible for their own props although sometimes the stage manager keeps them safe in a central back stage location.

Proscenium Arch
This is the name given to the ‘frame’ which goes around the performance space in traditional nineteenth-century style theatres. In some theatres it actually looks like a gold-gilted picture frame. The audience looks through this frame into the dramatic world being created on stage.

Raked Stage
This is a performance space that slopes up towards the rear of the stage. This was a common feature of theatres in the past but nowadays it is more common for stages to be flat and the auditorium to be raked. This improves the sightlines from most seats in the auditorium.

Run
This jargon term is used in two different ways in the theatre. Firstly, it describes the length of the season of a particular production. For example “Our production of Hamlet runs for three weeks”. Secondly, it describes a rehearsal where a part of the play is practiced. For example “Tomorrow’s rehearsal will start with a run of Act IV of Hamlet”.

Set
When this term is used as a VERB, it refers to the process of preparing the stage for the start of a production. For example, “I have set the props in position for the start of Act I”. When it is used as a NOUN, it refers to complete stage setting for the production or for a particular scene. For example, “The set for Act I is a bedroom”.

SM
This is the accepted abbreviation for the Stage Manager.

Stage Left/Stage Right
These are the most common stage directions used in the theatre. They always refer to the stage from the actor’s perspective. That is, when an actor stands on stage and looks into the audience, it is his or her left and right.

Tech
This is an abbreviation for the “technical rehearsal”. People will say things like “the tech went till 3am”. The term can also be used to describe a member of the production crew. For example, “The lighting tech will preset the lighting state for Act I by 7:45pm”. [Sometimes this person is referred to as “the techie”]

Technical Rehearsal/Tech Run
This is a rehearsal that is specifically focussed on the technical aspects of the production including the lighting, the set, and the sound effects or music. Sometimes the actors are required to wear costumes so that they can practice fast costume changes if necessary.

Theatre in the round
This is a form of theatre where the audience surrounds the performance space.

Upstage
This refers to the part of the stage that is the furthest distance from the audience. It also describes the process of “upstaging” another actor which is when one actor moves around to pull the audience’s focus from the primary action of the scene.

Wings
These are the spaces which are usually on the side of the stage. They are typically out of the sight of audience members. Actors can wait here when preparing to make their entrances.