Term of the Day: cue lights

cue lights--lights flipped on by stage manager to indicate cues to men on the fly floor or on the deck. There was a legendary flyman and drinker who would take the bulb out of the flyrail cue light and stick his finger in the socket. When the SM calling the show would flip the cue light, it would jolt him awake. throwing the cue lights.

Term of the Day: a whip-around

a whip-around: a collection of money at a theater or TV studio for a stagehand who has had a death in their family or when a baby is born. "We are doing a whip-around for the family of the stagehand who died last week. They need the money."

Term of the Day: "moving deck chairs on the Titanic"

"moving deck chairs on the Titanic"--making small changes too late to fix a doomed show. "They made changes to the first act, but it was like moving deck chairs on the Titanic."

Term of the Day: (a) haircut

(a) haircut--when you cut the top off a prop or a small piece of scenery, so it can be accommodated backstage. "We had to give the bookcase unit a haircut so it would fit on the set."

Term of the Day: (a) walkaway

(a) walkaway--leave everything as it is and go home

Term of the Day: one-way sense of humor

one-way sense of humor--can make snarky, cruel jokes but doesn't understand them when they are returned. "The acid-tongued PSM had a one-way sense of humor. He could dish it out, but was perplexed when people mocked him in return."

Term of the Day: noble failure

noble failure--a Broadway show that receives rave reviews and is an artistic favorite in the Broadway community, but has dismal ticket sales and dies a quick death. These shows are mounted on Broadway when producers follow their hearts, rather then their wallets.