Primary roles of a call boy in the theatre
– Move from backstage to dressing rooms and green rooms
– Alert actors and actresses of their entrances
– Call out cues such as ‘You’re on in five minutes’
– Call the quarter hour and overture
– Assist with scene changes
Etymology of the term “call boy”
– Term was already used in the 18th century
– Shakespearean scholar Edmond Malone claimed Shakespeare’s first job was a call-boy
Notable people associated with the role of a call boy
– Actor William J. Ferguson was a call boy at Fords Theatre during Lincoln’s assassination
– Ferguson witnessed the event and saw Booth jump to the stage
– Call boys were usually actors themselves
– Call boys did crowd scenes as needed
– Term became obsolete in larger theatres in the mid-20th century
Related term and reference
– See also: List of theatre personnel
– Reference: Bax, Peter. The Dress Rehearsals. Stage Management. Ayer Publishing. 1977. p. 227.
Additional reference
– Reference: The Call Boys Story. The New York Times. Apr. 18, 1915. p. X 6. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_boy_(theatre)
