Board operator
A board operator is someone who runs either a light board or a sound board in the theatre. Light board operators are responsible for cues such as the house lights coming down and stage lights coming up. Even lamps on stage are often controlled by the light board operator. The actor just pretends to turn it, by holding their hand on the switch until the light comes up.
Follow-spot operator is a common first job in lighting. The follow-spot is a light which is physically moved by the technician during the production, to follow a performer around the stage. A follow-spot may also have mechanisms to change color, as well as an iris to change the size of the beam of light.
“All I wanted to be was a a follow-spot operator”
Sound board operators have a similar function. They play cues ranging from special effects such as wind or rain to mood music. When an actor turns on a radio on stage, it’s the sound board operator that really makes the music come on.
Steve Barnett, now a self-employed lighting designer, said: “All I wanted to be when I grew up was a a follow-spot operator. As a young child I’d been taken to see Peter Pan at the Barbican and I wanted to be Tinkerbell, which was done by a follow-spot”. Steve went on to achieve his dream working at the National Theatre as designer David Hersey’s assistant on Peter Pan.
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