A European Informational Website
learn more
A theatrical cue is the trigger for an action to be carried out at a specific time. It is generally associated with theatre and the film industry. They can be necessary for a lighting change or effect, a sound effect, or some sort of stage or set movement/change.
Cues are generally given by the stage manager as a verbal signal over the headset system or backstage intercom, or by a signal with a 'cue light'. There are 3 types of cues given. Warning, Standby, and Go.
There are several common methods for the stage manager to call warning, standby and go and each stage manager has their own method. The important thing is that they can be heard and understood. Here is an example of a way a stage manager might call for Light Cue #24
It should be noted that the words 'warning' and 'standby' both come before the department and cue number, but the word 'go' comes after. This is because as soon as the word 'go' is heard the crew will execute the cue.
If there are multitple cues right in a row, rather than calling warnings, standbys and go's, a stage manager might say: "Warning Lights 26 through 30, Stanby Lights 26 through 30, Lights 26 Go, Lights 27 Go, Lights 28 Go, Lights 29 Go, Lights 30 Go."
The technician(s) or board operators who are to take the cue are expected to respond so that the stage manger knows they have heard and understood them. A typical response might be, "Thank you, Sound," "Standby Rail," or simply "Lights."
Many types of cues are not apparent to the stage manager, or are subtle. In this case the technician who executed the cue usually responds with a taken note; eg. "Rail cue 11 taken."
Often times followspot operators do not take their cues from stage managers. This is generally because the timing of actors entrances and exits and other movements may vary from night to night, and because calling every followspot cue could become too complicated and interfere with the calling and execution of other cues. More commonly, a stage manager may only call very specific followspot cues, like a blackout--frequently on a blackout cue there is a light cue and sound cue a followspot cue and sometimes even a set cue, so it is very important that everything happens all at the same time. Aside from this, followspot operaters take their own cues and follow their own cue sheet.
(If a stage manager were to call every cue for a follow spot operator it might sound something like this: "Spot 1, pick up <actor name>, spot 2 iris down, spot 1 switch to color frame #4, spot 3 douse out, spot 4 pick up <actor name>, spot 2 switch to color frame #2.")
Cue lights are sometimes used for back stage cues when a headset for communications is impractical, such as when an actor needs to make an entrance, or if there is a cue needed on stage when the crew needs to be silent. The cue light is controlled by the stage manager using a switch the same way that (s)he would call audio cues over the headset. A solid red light indicates a 'warning' cue. An optional yellow light or a flashing red light indicates "standby". A green light signals "go." Some cue lights have a talkback feature which allows actors or crew to acknowledge back to the stage manager that the cue has been received.
A cue sheet is a form usually generated by the stage manager of design department head that indicates information about the cue including execution, timing, sequence, intensity (for lights), volume (for sound). The board operators, running and deck crews may have copies of the cue sheet with just the information dealing with their department. The stage manager keeps a master list of all the cues in the show and keeps track of them in the Prompt book.