They report directly to the crew chief, are usually paid by the hour, and will sometimes rotate between several groups from one performance to the next.
The call boy or girl also calls the "quarter hour" and "overture and beginners",[1] the preparatory warning that signals for the orchestra to start the introductory music and the beginners, those performers who appear on stage at the beginning of the first act, to get into their opening positions.
The term was already current at the end of the 18th century, when the Shakespearean scholar Edmond Malone claimed that William Shakespeare's first job in the theatre was that of "call-boy".
He said he and actress Laura Keene were standing off stage at the first entrance, opposite the president's box, when it occurred.
He heard the shot, looked up and saw Lincoln's head slump, then Booth jumped to the stage and rushed between him and Keene.