What is the Half Hour Call?
The Half Hour Call is the normal call time (when you must arrive) for actors on professional contracts. Half Hour is announced by the Stage Management team 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance in the US, and 35 minutes prior in the UK and Australia.
In the UK and Australia, the extra 5 minutes is given to allow for a places call at 5 minutes to the top of show. If you are working on a show where people are called earlier than 30 minutes prior, then the half hour call is especially important to let them know to start getting ready.
What does it mean when the crew announces Half Hour?
When the crew or a Stage Manager gives the Half Hour Call, it lets everyone know it is time to begin getting ready if they haven’t already. It also lets actors know they are officially on the clock and usually means the House has opened and patrons are being admitted.
What are the other calls prior to the show beginning?
Other calls include 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, and places. In the US, these times are the number of minutes prior to the show starting. In the UK, these are the number of minutes prior to the Beginners call (AKA Places in the US), which happens 5 minutes prior to the start time.
Who calls Half Hour in Theatre?
The Production Stage Manager will typically call Half Hour over a call system which feeds into the dressing rooms. If there is no dedicated call system, then either the PSM or the Assistant Stage Managers will make the calls in person in each dressing room.
How do you call half hour?
Your Half Hour call should be something like: “Good evening everyone, this is your Half Hour Call, Half Hour please, Half Hour, Thank you!”
Feel free to modify this to fit you style as long as it is professional and friendly. I recommend repeating the words “Half Hour” just incase something blocks out the sound for a moment like a sneeze or the PA Mic cutting out.
What Exactly is a Call in Theatre?
A Call in theatre the time when you must be in the building and ready to begin. For example a 2:00pm Call time for rehearsal means you should be in the building, settled, and ready to rehearse by 2:00pm.
Call time is different than an SM calling a cue, which is when they tell their board op to execute a cue. If you are looking for Calling Cues, I have a separate article on that: How To Call Cues (Part 1): Basics of Calling a Show
