It's all about Cueing!

Practical Cueing - Flowers in the Desert

Script included in physical hand in*

In the previous week's lesson we had all prepared our scripts by placing the first page face down before placing each successive page to the left of it and turning it on. This meant that each page in the script would have a blank right hand side on which to write on. Despite being left handed I found it much easier to have the blocking on my right as I had practiced writing on the right for previous projects.
Once all of our scripts were ready we went through the play and added in all the sound/lighting cues and blocking notation.

Unfortunately I was taken ill on the day of the practical blocking so I was unable to sit in the lighting desk and see the other side of the window.

Etiquette -
Once the Stage Manager gives the Deputy Stage Manager F.o.H clearance it is down for DSM to put the show on the road. The process of starting a show usually goes something like the following:

SM: Front of House Clearance. Put the reds up, DSM.
DSM: Thank you, SM. Stand by LQ 1-2
LT: Standing by.
DSM: Stand by SND Q 1
ST: Standing by.
DSM: Stand by USR W/ beginner
SM: Standing by
SM: Take it away

-- Start Stop Watch

DSM: LXQ 1 Go
DSM: SND Q 1 Go

Should you ever find yourself in the role of a DSM it is important to always remember your manners when you are able as it maintains a more pleasant and less stressful working environment, You must also always give your sound and lighting operatives a standby to give them time to get into position. However, it is bad etiquette to give them their standby call too far in advance as it will mean that they have their finger hovering over the go button for needlessly long amounts of time.

Evaluation
I found the process of putting in the notation and cues a much more enjoyable experience than it was to actually attempt cueing the show. I found it surprisingly difficult to keep up with the action while verbally giving cues than I did when I had to look out for the cues myself while simultaneously operating the lighting and sound desks. Early on in the session I made the mistake of reading out an LX cue when it should have been a SND cue. Although I didn't actually say 'Go,' the operative still went ahead. To me this highlighted the importance of staying on top of everything as even a single wrong word can throw the entire production off.
Despite my early failure, after the first page was complete I found that I settled into the flow of things and become more confident in my cueing, which led to a smoother transition from cue to cue. If I were to redo the project I would immediately attempt to relax more as feeling stressed was more likely to make me act up. Overall, I am generally happy with how I performed this task as it was my first time giving cues to other members of the team and I made it through with relatively few screw ups and learnt a lot in the process.

Cueing to a Score - Chasing Cars

Script included in physical hand in*

The process of cueing to music is very similar to cueing for regular performances except the DSM is looking for changes in music rather than for audible or visual cues. For this reason it is possible (and I use the term very loosely) to cue to music without being able to read music as you are largely looking out for changes in pitch and beat, which is doable although very tricky.