Stage Directions: According to the Boston Daily Globe, in 1882 the Bijou theatre was the first theatre in the country to install and use electricity throughout the building. Some companies had already installed electric house lights, specials, etc. But the Bijou was the first to use electric light in every corner of the theatre. As a result, the development and implementation of cue lights followed shortly, which inevitably silenced the Prompter’s aural cueing methods and changed the way in which the audience experienced the performance.
6 comments:
Usually we picture a stage manager with a thousand arms, a five-page long to-do list, and with “multitasker” as their last name. When I picture a stage manager calling a show and using the cue lights, it becomes very apparent how calling a show is its own craft. Cue lights provide a silent signal for the crew, which translate as extra mouth space for the stage manager. But while now the stage manager has time to breathe between cues, and the ability to cue things simultaneously, they have to time things differently. Light and sound travel at different speeds and reaction times from the crew can also be different. Technology has made theatre grow in a thousand different directions over the years. Now we have automation, 3D printing, moving lights and LED’s, and a bunch of other things that have made the theatre evolve as an art. And yet is amusing to see how many practices that were invented decades ago, are still used in theatres all around the world, because of how practical, effective, and timeless they are.
It has never even crossed to think about how shows were called before we had communication systems like Clearcom. I could never imagine sitting in a theater and hearing someone yell or someone blow a whistle at every cue. This would ruin my experience. That being said, the fact that cue lights were being used this long ago also never crossed my mind. Even when electricity became a common sight in theaters, cue lights seem like a much newer technology then they actually are. With this invention, the stage manager was reinvented into more of what we know them as today. Cue lights allowed the stage managers to view the show from the back of the house where they sat attentively, using cue lights to cue people all across the theater. This is almost identical to what we see a stage manager as today. It is amazing to think how much a light bulb, and being able to turn it on and off from afar changed theater. Without this invention, it would have been much longer until we saw this change.
This is such a cool article to read. Logically, I knew that the invention of electricity must have meant that before that had happened theatres were very different from what we know them to be now, but I never stopped to think about how this affected cue lights, as they are such an integral part of how Stage Managers call their cues today. I find it fascinating that before that, you as an audience member would have actually heard the Stage Manager doing their job due to the whistle. I think of watching Ibsen, the Father of Realism, and hearing muted whistles every time a cue occurs. Granted, they didn't have light cues in the same way as we are thinking, but still, to have the realism of the play interrupted every time a crew member needed to go shift scenery, is a little unreal. I also think that it's interesting to see the use of the technology progress: the green light as a standby, and the red light as a go, to turning on the light being the standby and turning it of as the go. I agree with Char that with how much has changed in technology over the past 136 years, it is interesting to see how we still use this technology in this same way, due to its effectiveness. Even now, when Stage Managers commonly call from backstage again, it is an invaluable pieces of the calling procedure that allows more flexibility for designers and director, more control for the Stage Manager, and a more streamlined experience for the audience.
I have helped run many shows in theaters (or just repurposed rooms/lecture halls) without cue lights. The goal was always to find a way for the stage managers to communicate as quietly as possible with their run crews and board ops. I would have never thought that a precursor to cue lights or clearcomm was a any method that would alter how the audience saw the show; I especially never thought it would be bells and whistles. I have not worked a show without clearcomm, which greatly facilitates the silencing of stage management, by allowing a whisper to be heard backstage from the back of the house. But, we’ve always tried a (typically minorly disorganized and initially disastrous) system of hand signals relying on line of sight from crew to asm or sm. I just assumed that cues were always given visually with a similar system of
(non electric) signals, or at least always given as silently as possible. The magic is in the audience not even knowing we’re there.
How cues were called before theatre-wide comm systems is very interesting, because that is a major way that lighting cues (and cues of all type) work in theatre today. The use of cue lights and bells would be particularly interesting, because both would be able to be seen or heard respectively by the audience as well. This likely would have been at least slightly distracting to them. However, speaking tubes would be similar to prototype versions of modern day ClearComs. In a sense it reminds me of sending message via pneumatic tube (like making a deposit in a bank window). According to this article, this technology is the same used on children’s playgrounds, as a toy. However, these facilitated relatively easy communication in theatres without too much distraction to the audience. Yet, they became less effective over greater distances, as they would resonate less and less the further the sound wave travelled.
I remember being told once never to whistle backstage lest someone drop a scene piece on your head. I’ve tried to maintain that since it was told to me. Before this article, I thought that cue lights were a modern invention of the last 20 years or so, little did I know how wrong I was. I’m fascinated by this. I want to get the book mentioned in the article and read it and learn more about the changes in the backstage technology over time. I remember being told stories about the whistle cues that would signify which drops or scenic elements would move and when, but didn’t really know about the bells, or the speaking tubes. Modern cue lights are a technological marvel and there are several systems to choose from. One thing that still baffles me is why is Red the go and Green the warn. Why not yellow the warn and the green to go? Guess I will just have to track down a copy of that book and see if it answers my question.
Post a Comment