The Art of Calling Followspots

Session details:

This session will discuss what a show caller needs to know to effectively call cues for spotlight operators in a live performance. We’ll discuss what particular information the operators need to hear to properly execute cues, various strategies for formulating cue sheets, and how to most effectively support the lighting designer’s vision with the followspot team. Optimal language, cue sheets, and techniques vary depending on the nature of the performance, the type of equipment being used, who is tasked with calling the followspot cues, and the operators themselves. We hope to give an overview into what is entailed in the craft and the art of this specialized job.