Volunteering as a Board Op

Position: Lightboard Operator

Suitable for Ages 11+

Commitment Level: Medium

2-5 hours per night during tech rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and the run of a show.

(4-5 weeks for mainstage musical, 3-4 weeks for plays, 2-3 days for singular events)

Experience Needed: Minimal

Are you interested in learning more about operating our lighting system? Anyone with an interest in the beauty of theatrical lights and familiarity with computers can easily fill this role! A successful board operator is able to follow instructions from their stage manager and hit their cues when directed. Some training is required and will be arranged at the beginning of your first shift.

How do I start?

This one's easy! All you have to do is contact our Volunteer Specialist and see if there are any upcoming shows in search of a board op. (Spoiler alert: there almost certainly are.) They can match you with a show that fits into your schedule.

What's board opping like?

You'll head up to our tech balcony, which is situated above the house in Starker Auditorium. The board op gets to sit here:

We know, we know—that looks like a lot of buttons. But most of those buttons are for the lighting designer! The person actually operating the board during a show doesn't have to worry about 95% of those buttons.

The GO+ button is the board op's best friend. Most of board opping is pressing "GO+" when the Stage Manager tells them to over the headset.

During the preparation for a show, the lighting and sound designers create computer files that tell the lights what to do and what sound effects and music play. When the designers program a show, they tie those light and sound cues together with a special kind of software. All of that is controlled by the lightboard. They create a show file with all of those cues in order, boot it up on the lightboard, and the cues play in order one at a time when the GO+ button is pressed.

During the show itself, the Stage Manager follows along in their script, tracking what is happening onstage very closely. When the next cue is coming up, they say into the headset, "Standby lights." This is to let the board op know that they will need to push the "GO+" button soon. The board op replies, "Standing by." In a few seconds, the Stage Manager will say, "Lights, go," and the board op pushes "GO+."

...and that's really the whole job. It's easy, but it's so much fun to press a button and watch the magic happen onstage!

If you'd like to give board opping a try, reach out to the Majestic Theatre Volunteer Specialist Milo Galasso at milo.galasso@corvallisoregon.gov, and they can match you with an upcoming opportunity!